UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIF'T  OF* 


Received  cTLT.          ....,  190  0  • 

Accession  No.  *&  I  6   *5  3  -    Class  No. 


ECLECTIC   SCHOOL   READINGS 


STORIES 


OF 


ANIMAL   LIFE 


BY 


CHARLES   FREDERICK   HOLDER,  LL.  D. 

Author  of  "Elements  of  Zoology" 


NEW  YORK  •:•   CINCINNATI   •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY 


?3 

COPYRIGHT,  1899,  BY 
CHARLES   FREDERICK   HOLDER. 


STO.   AN.    LIFE. 
W.  P.   I 


PREFACE. 


THESE  stories  of  nature,  derived  mainly  from  personal 
experience  with  the  various  animal  forms  described,  are 
presented  in  the  hope  that  they  may  prove  an  incentive 
to  the  young  student  of  zoology  or  animal  life,  either 
creating  an  interest  in  the  subject  or  serving  as  supple- 
mentary reading  to  those  who  have  followed  a  course  in 
the  field  or  the  text-book. 

To  undertake  the  study  of  natural  history  successfully, 
enthusiastic  interest  is  necessary,  and  to  arouse  such  an 
interest  may  be  considered  one  of  the  possible  good  offices 
of  the  volume.  The  young  student  who  is  confronted  day 
after  day  with  a  frog,  a  crab,  or  a  shell,  and  requested  to 
note  its  peculiarities  of  structure  as  a  first  lesson,  some- 
times may  assume  that  natural  history  is,  after  all,  very  dry 
and  uninteresting,  when,  had  he  even  a  faint  conception 
of  the  wonderful  ways  and  habits  of  the  animals,  he  would 
eagerly  embrace  the  opportunity  for  closer  investigation. 

This  volume  is  intended  to  present  some  of  the  remark- 
able phases  of  animal  life,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  reader 
will  find  under  the  guise  of  stories  many  facts  not  gen- 
erally available  and  covering  a  wide  field. 

The  illustrations  have  been  designed  to  carry  out  still 
further  the  idea  of  the  book,  and  to  present  at  once  the 

3 


more  interesting  and  striking  features  of  the  various 
animals  under  consideration. 

Some  of  the  chapters,  as  "  How  the  Whale  Looked 
Pleasant,"  "  The  Famous  Tortugas  Bullfight,"  "  Jack  and 
Jill  Reynard,"  and  others,  appeared  originally  in  "  St. 
Nicholas  "  (published  by  the  Century  Company),  a  few  in 
the  "  Youth's  Companion  "  and  the  "  Outlook,"  and  nearly 
all  are  based  upon  personal  experiences  of  the  author  in 
many  localities,  from  the  coral  lagoons  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 

PASADENA,  CAL.  C.  F.  H. 


CONTENTS. 


The  Little  Bear's  Story 7 

The  Festival  of  Eggs      . 11 

How  Some  Birds  are  cared  for 21 

Jack  and  Jill  Reynard '   .      .      .      .  33 

Some  Curious  Fishermen 39 

The  Greyhound 46 

Mingo's  Fifth  Hand 58 

Insect  Hypnotizers 61 

The  Games  of  Animals 66 

How  the  Whale  looked  Pleasant 73 

Tiddlywinks 78 

The  Famous  Tortugas  Bullfight 86 

Rogue  Elephants 96 

Some  Baby  Birds 108 

A  Submarine  Ramble 115 

War  Elephants 123 

A  Living  Umbrella 133 

Feathered  Giants 139 

Insect  Fishers 147 

Animal  Mimics 153 

A  Dog's  Trip  around  the  World 160 

Flying  without  Wings 168 

The  Dragon  that  swallowed  the  Moon 172 

5 


How  Animals  talk 178 

Animal  Mound  Builders 188 

The  Home  of  a  Fish 194 

Dipodomys 202 

An  Ocean  Swordsman 208 

Animal  Restorations .      .218 

On  Guard 223 

Prisoners  for  Life 228 

Their  May  Moving 234 

Fishes  Out  of  Water 239 

Birds  of  the  Ocean 247 

An  Invading  Horde 255 


STORIES  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE. 


THE    LITTLE    BEAR'S   STORY. 

"  I  AM  a  native  of  the  state 
of  California.      I  don't  re- 
member distinctly  where 
I   was  born,   but  it  was 
up  in  the  Sierras,  where 
the  snow  lies  in  great 
banks,   and    the    giant 
trees   stand    like    sentinels,    and 
where  you  might  travel  for  days 
and  weeks  and  meet  no  one  but 
bears. 

"The  first  thing  I  recollect  is  find- 
ing myself  in  a  big  burrow  covered  with  snow. 
Then  my  mother  broke  the  way  out,  and  led  us 
(I  had  a  brother)  down  the  mountain.  We  soon 
left  the  snow  ;  and  I  remember  one  day,  at  sunset, 
we  stood  on  an  overhanging  rock,  and  my  mother 
showed  us  the  green  valleys  and  dark  forests  where 

7 


8 

we  could  hide,  and  far  off  was  the  gleaming  sea. 
She  did  not  care  very  much  for  the  water,  I 
think. 

"  My  mother  was  hungry  after  the  long  winter 
fast,  and  every  day  she  took  us  lower  and  Ipwer,  until, 
one  night,  she  led  us  into  a  sheep  ranch.  Then  our 
troubles  began,  for  she  left  us  to  catch  a  lamb,  and 
never  came  back.  We  heard  all  about  it  after- 
ward. Some  ranchers  had  seen  her,  and  rode  out 
on  horseback  to  enjoy  the  cruel  sport  of  *  roping  a 
bear.'  As  they  rode  around  her,  one  threw  his 
lariat  about  her  neck,  another  caught  her  forefoot 
as  she  stood  up,  another  her  hind  leg ;  and  then 
they  dragged  her  away  to  the  ranch  house  —  and 
so  we  became  orphans. 

"  It  was  not  long  before  the  dogs  found  us,  and 
a  man  carried  me  home  in  a  basket  to  his  wife, 
who  treated  me  very  kindly.  I  did  not  like  it,  but 
pretended  I  did,  and  ate  all  I  could,  always  watch- 
ing and  hoping  for  a  chance  to  run  away  to  my 
mountain  home.  My  mistress,  however,  soon 
thought  I  was  too  knowing,  and  put  a  chain 
about  my  neck.  Finally,  when  I  was  about  four 
months  old,  they  sent  me  to  a  friend  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. I  shall  never  forget  how  the  people  looked 
at  me  and  laughed  when  I  stood  on  my  hind  legs. 
As  it  there  was  anything  laughable  in  that! 


But  they  gave  me  sugar  and  other  good  things, 
and  I  fared  well. 

"  My  new  master  was  a  butcher,  and  most  of  the 
time  I  passed  in  his  shop.  But  some  days,  when  I 
was  very  homesick,  and  longed  for  my  mother  and 
the  little  cub  who  had  been  carried  off  I  did  not 
know  where,  the  butcher's  wife  would  take  me  into 
her  room  back  of  the  shop ;  and  then  I  would  go  to 
sleep,  cuddled  up  close  upon  a  rug,  with  my  paws 
on  her  hand,  and  dream  that  I  was  back  in  my 
mountain  home. 

"  One  day  I  heard  my  master  say  I  was  to  be 
photographed,  and  I  thought  my  time  had  come. 
You  see,  I  had  never  heard  the  word  before.  There 
was  no  escape,  as  I  was  kept  tied  ;  and  the  next 
morning  my  master  took  me  under  his  big  coat  in 
the  cable  cars.  I  could  just  peep  through  one  of 
the  buttonholes,  and  all  at  once  I  uttered  a  loud 
whine.  You  should  have  seen  how  the  passengers 
stared  at  my  master,  who,  I  knew,  looked  embar- 
rassed, as  he  gave  me  a  tremendous  squeeze.  We 
soon  got  out,  and  I  was  carried  up  a  flight  of  stairs, 
and  placed  on  a  table  in  a  room,  the  walls  of  which 
were  covered  with  pictures  of  people's  faces,  all  of 
which  seemed  to  keep  their  eyes  fixed  on  me. 

"  My  master  petted  me  and  gave  me  some  sugar, 
and  I  began  to  think  that  being  photographed  was 


10 

possibly  not  so  bad,  after  all.  Presently  a  man 
came  in.  He  looked  very  much  astonished,  and 
said :  '  Why,  I  thought  you  engaged  a  sitting  for 
"  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  "  ? ' 

"  '  So  I  did,'  replied  my  master;  'there  it  is' — 
pointing  to  where  I  stood  up,  blinking  with  all  my 
might. 

"  *  Why,  it  's  a  cub  bear ! '  exclaimed  the  man. 

"  'Well,  it  is  a  relative  of  some  early  settlers,  all 
the  same,'  my  master  answered. 

"  At  this  the  man  smiled  good-humoredly ;  then 
he  went  into  another  room,  while  my  master  petted 
me  and  gave  me  so  much  sugar  that  I  had  the 
toothache  from  it.  After  a  while  the  man  came 
back  and  said  he  was  ready,  and  I  was  taken  into 
a  room  where  there  was  a  big  thing  like  a  gun  on 
three  legs,  with  a  cloth  over  it.  My  master  sat 
down  in  a  chair  and  held  me  in  his  lap,  while  the 
man  pointed  the  gun  at  us. 

"  I  thought  I  was  to  be  shot,  and  tried  to  get 
away  ;  and  this  made  the  man  so  cross  that  he  came 
out  from  under  the  cloth  and  said  he  could  n't  do 
it.  Then  my  master  put  me  up  in  a  child's  chair, 
and  propped  something  tight  against  my  head,  at 
which  they  both  laughed  so  loud  you  could  have 
heard  them  in  the  street,  and  I  jumped  down. 

"  Finally  the  man  tapped  his  forehead  and  said : 


II 

'  I  have  it.'  He  put  a  screen  before  the  gun,  and 
my  master  set  me  on  top  of  it,  holding  my  chain, 
while  the  man  crept  under  the  cloth.  I  did  not 
dare  move,  as  I  was  astride  of  the  screen,  my  hind 
feet  hanging  in  the  air.  I  prepared  for  the  worst. 
Then  the  man  came  out  again,  looked  at  me  sharply, 
and  turned  my  head  a  little,  telling  me  to  look 
pleasant  —  at  which  my  master  laughed.  The  man 
next  shook  a  tambourine  at  me,  and  as  I  turned  to 
see  what  the  noise  meant,  I  heard  a  click  !  and  just 
then  my  master  took  me  down  and  carried  me  home, 
much  to  my  relief. 

"  I  wondered  what  it  was  all  about  until,  one  day, 
my  master  took  me  on  his  knee,  and,  holding  up  a 
card,  said :  '  Well,  here  you  are ! '  And  what  do 
you  suppose  it  was  ?  Nothing  more  or  less  than 
my  picture,  just  as  I  was  perched  astride  the  screen 
the  day  when  I  thought  I  was  going  to  be  killed !  " 


THE    FESTIVAL   OF    EGGS. 

KAITAE  was  just  sixteen  years  old.  It  was  his 
birthday,  and  he  rose  bright  and  early,  and  was 
abroad  before  any  of  his  companions ;  for,  ex- 
hausted with  the  games  and  contests  of  the  pre- 
vious day,  they  were  sleeping  heavily  in  the  curious 


12 


caves  or  stone  houses  that  even  to  this  day  mark 
the  location  of  Orongo. 

Kaitae  was  a  prince,  the  lineal  descendant  of 
King  Kaitae  of  Waihu,  the  strange  volcanic  island 
in  the  Pacific,  better  known  as  Easter  Island. 

The  young  prince,  stepping  lightly  over  two 
sleeping  comrades,  stole  out  of  the  cave,  and  with 
a  joyful  heart  bounded  away.  For  some  distance 
he  ran  quickly  ;  then,  coming  to  a  large  platform  of 
stone,  he  stopped  near  a  group  of  curious  objects. 

The  sun  was  just  rising  over  the  sea,  seeming  to 
Kaitae  to  illumine  the  scene  with  a  mysterious  ra- 
diance. He  stood  upon  the  side  of  an  ancient 
volcano,  the  steep  slope  of  which  fell  precipitously  a 

thousand  feet  to  the 
/ 

sea  ;  and  before  him 
were  many  gaunt, 
staring  faces  of  gi- 
gantic size,  rudely 
carved  in  lifeless 
stone,  their  enor- 
mous eyes  turned 
to  the  north.  The 
great  heads  alone 
appeared,  as  if  the 
bodies  were  embedded  in  the  hardened  lava  that 
formed  the  base  of  the  outer  slope  of  the  famous 


"  He  reverently  touched  one.' 


13 

volcano  Rana  Roraka.  The  youth  gazed  long 
and  wonderingly  at  them,  as  in  his  mind  they 
were  associated  with  the  gods,  and  he  reverently 
touched  one,  being  able  just  to  reach  its  huge 
lips. 

Kaitae  was  a  bright  boy,  with  long,  dark  hair, 
and  brilliant,  piercing  eyes,  and  he  presented  a 
strange  contrast  to  the  wonderful  old  face  that 
looked  so  steadfastly  to  the  north.  What  was  it 
looking  at?  what  did  it  see?  he  asked  himself;  and 
climbing  up  to  the  brink  of  Rana  Roraka,  he  gazed 
steadily  to  the  north,  then,  turning,  peered  down 
into  the  vast  crater  of  the  volcano.  The  great 
abyss  was  nearly  circular,  a  mile  across,  and  its 
sides  were  deeply  jagged.  On  the  slopes,  halfway 
down,  were  other  faces,  lying  in  confusion,  as  if 
they  had  been  hurriedly  left,  or  had  been  thrown 
down  by  some  convulsion  of  nature. 

Kaitae  had  heard  from  his  father  that  in  ancient 
times  Tro  Kaiho,  a  son  of  King  Mohuta  Ariiki,  had 
made  the  first  of  these  images.  Here  they  had 
been  for  ages,  for  all  he  knew,  marking  the  spot 
where  the  remains  of  his  ancestors  lay. 

Kaitae,  however,  was  not  abroad  so  early  in  the 
morning  to  study  these  strange  monuments  of  his 
ancestors.  It  was  a  famous  holiday  time, — the 
Festival  of  the  Sea  Birds'  Eggs, —  and  the  entire 


H 

male  population  of  Waihu  had  gathered  at  Orongo 
to  celebrate  it.  The  festival  was  an  ancient  cus- 
tom, and  the  stone  houses  of  Orongo  had  been  built 
long  in  the  past  by  these  people  to  shelter  them 
during  this  season. 

The  festival  consisted  of  a  race  for  the  first  gull's 
egg  deposited  upon  the  islands  of  Mutu  Rankan 
and  Mutu  Nui,  mere  volcanic  rocks,  which  peered 
above  the  surface  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
rocky  shore  of  the  island  of  Orongo.  The  object 
was  to  reach  the  island  first,  secure  an  egg,  and 
bring  it  back  in  safety.  The  one  who  accomplished 
this  was  greeted  by  the  entire  community  as  a  hero  ; 
and,  more  important  yet,  the  return  with  the  un- 
broken egg  was  supposed  to  bring  with  it  the  ap- 
proval of  the  great  spirit  Meke  Meke,  and  the 
fortunate  one  was  the  recipient  of  many  gifts  from 
his  fellows  throughout  the  ensuing  year. 

There  was  keen  rivalry  among  the  young  men 
and  boys,  and  Kaitae  had  determined  this  year  to 
be  the  first  to  discover  the  gulls  on  the  islands. 
Running  down  the  slope  of  the  volcano,  past  the 
great  stone  images  weighing  many  tons,  he  made 
his  way  quickly  to  an  observation  tower,  about 
thirty  feet  in  height,  resting  upon  a  platform  of  rock 
over  the  tombs  of  his  people.  Here,  in  the  season, 
the  men  watched  for  turtles  and  signaled  to  their 


15 

fellows.  From  the  top  of  this  lookout  Kaitae  gazed 
over  the  blue  water.  There  were  the  little  islands 
below  him,  and  —  yes,  about  them  hovered  numbers 
of  white  objects,  the  long-looked-for  gulls,  which  evi- 
dently had  arrived  during  the  night.  With  a  joyous 
shout  Kaitae  sprang  down,  and  was  soon  bounding 
over  the  rocks  to  convey  the  news  to  the  natives.  At 
once  they  came  swarming  out  of  their  stone  bur- 
rows like  ants,  and  before  long  began  to  move  in 
the  direction  of  the  coast.  When  all  had  gathered 
at  the  cliff,  the  king  addressed  them,  repeating  the 
time-honored  rules  for  the  race. 

At  his  word  they  were  to  start  for  the  island,  and 
the  one  who  returned  to  him  first  with  an  unbroken 
egg  would  have  the  especial  favor  of  the  great  spirit 
Meke  Meke. 

The  band  of  excited  men  and  boys  stood  in 
various  expectant  postures,  some  with  one  foot  in 
advance,  others  with  arms  eagerly  stretched  to  the 
front,  ready  for  the  word  from  the  king. 

Kaitae  stood  near  his  father,  his  eyes  flashing, 
and  determination  expressed  in  every  feature.  He 
had  decided  upon  a  dangerous  course.  The  cliff 
where  the  start  was  made  was  a  precipitous,  jagged 
wall  rising  far  above  the  sea,  and  breasting  it  with 
a  bold  front.  From  it  numerous  paths  led  down  to 
the  water;  and  Kaitae  knew  that  many  a  fierce 


i6 


struggle  would  take  place 
to    reach    the    water's 


edge.  He  had  deter- 
mined to  take  the 
cliff  jump,  a  perilous 
feat  that  had  not 
been  attempted  since 
the  king,  his  grand- 
father, a  famous  ath- 
lete, had  performed 
it  when  a  boy. 

Finally,  when  all  in 
line  were  in  readiness, 
the  king  gave  the   sig- 
nal,  and  on  rushed   the 
crowd  of  islanders,  with 
loud  cries  and  shouts.     Out 
from  among  them  shot  the 
form  of  a  boy,  straight  as  an 


arrow,  his  long  black  hair  flying  in  the  wind  —  not 
to  the  lower  beach,  not  to  the  narrow  trails  made 
by  his  ancestors,  but  directly  to  the  brink  of  the 
precipice.  The  train  of  dusky  figures  paused 
breathless,  and  the  king  ran  forward  to  see  Kaitae 
dive  out  into  space  and  gracefully  disappear  into 
the  depths  below.  Up  he  came  presently,  a  spot 
on  the  water,  and  before  the  astonished  natives 
could  recover  from  their  excitement  he  was  far  on 
his  way  to  the  island. 

Down  the  narrow  trails  worn  in  the  lava  swept 
the  crowd,  pushing  one  another  over  in  their  rush 
to  the  shore,  diving,  leaping,  and  hurling  themselves 
into  the  sea,  in  eager  endeavor  to  reach  the  island. 
But  Kaitae  was  far  in  advance,  and  before  the 
crowd  of  egg-seekers  were  halfway  over  he  had 
gained  the  rocky  point  of  Mutu  Nui,  and  amid  the 
threatening  cries  of  the  birds  had  clambered  up. 
Dozens  of  speckled  eggs  were  strewn  about.  Seiz- 
ing one,  Kaitae  placed  it  in  his  mouth  as  the  safest 
place,  and,  springing  again  into  the  water,  was 
homeward  bound. 

No  one  seemed  discouraged  because  Kaitae  was 
ahead.  A  hundred  accidents  might  yet  befall  him. 
The  current  was  strong  against  the  return ;  the 
egg  might  break —  it  generally  did  ;  he  might  slip 
on  the  rocks  in  the  quick  ascent;  he  might  be  in- 


STO.  AN.  LIFE- 


i8 

jured,  even  killed  —  such  things  had  been  known. 
So  the  contestants  swam  on,  and  soon  scores  of  dark 
forms  could  be  seen  crawling  out  of  the  water  over 
the  kelp-covered  rocks,  slipping,  sliding,  falling ; 
then  darting  this  way  and  that  in  search  of  an  egg. 
Having  found  one,  each  plunged  quickly  into  the 
sea.  Altogether  it  was  a  strange  and  exciting 
scene,  even  to  the  king,  who  had  witnessed  every 
race  for  many  years.  Some  of  the  men  broke 
their  eggs  and  were  obliged  to  return,  while 
others  could  not  find  any,  and  were  pecked  at 
and  buffeted  by  the  enraged  birds,  which  filled 
the  air  with  their  cries,  as  they  swooped  down 
to  attack  the  intruders. 

Kaitae  reached  the  shore  of  Orongo  well  ahead 
of  all  except  one  man,  who  had  won  the  race  more 
than  once  in  former  years  —  a  daring  climber,  a 
rapid  and  powerful  swimmer.  But  Kaitae  drew 
himself  up  on  the  rocks  carefully,  that  the  egg 
might  not  be  broken,  then  sped  away  up  the  face 
of  the  cliff.  For  days  he  had  studied  the  steep  as- 
cent, and  a  score  of  times  had  scaled  its  rough  face, 
but  never  before  with  a  large  egg  in  his  mouth. 
When  halfway  up  he  was  breathing  hard.  His 
mouth  became  dry  and  parched,  and  the  egg  seemed 
to  be  choking  him.  But  still  he  held  on,  climbing 
higher  and  higher,  spurred  on  by  the  shouts  of 


19 

his  companions,  who  were   now   landing    in  large 
numbers. 

One  more  effort,  and  he  reached  the  top,  and 
running  forward,  he  held  out  the  egg,  unbroken, 
to  the  king.  He  was  just  in  time,  for  his  nearest 


rival,  breathless  Tahana,  came  rushing  up  the 
narrow  trail,  followed,  a  few  moments  later,  by  a 
score  of  disappointed  contestants. 

As  victor,  Kaitae  was  the  center  of  interest  for 
the  remainder  of  the  day.  Many  gifts  and  favors 
fell  to  him,  and  he  sat  in  the  seat  of  honor,  next  to 
the  king,  at  the  dance  and  merrymakings  on  that 
and  succeeding  nights. 


2O 


Kaitae  was  more  intelligent  than  many  of  his 
comrades,  and  while  he  joined  in  their  games  and 
pastimes,  he  as  much  enjoyed  listening  to  his  elders 
when  they  related  stories  of  the  wonders  of  Waihu 
in  the  olden  time.  He  learned  that  in  those  days 
the  island  was  inhabited  by  many  tribes  of  men, 
all  under  his  ancestor,  the  king ;  and  that  the  curi- 
ous platforms  and  monuments,  which  have  since 
made  Easter  Island  famous  over  the  entire  world, 
were  long  before  erected  by  his  forefathers,  just  as 
in  our  parks  statues  are  set  up  to  commemorate 
our  own  distinguished  men  ;  and  that  the  platforms 
were  tombs,  as  much  revered  by  the  natives  of  the 
island  as  Westminster  Abbey  is  revered  by  patri- 
otic Englishmen. 

During  the  boyhood  of  Kaitae,  several  strange 
ships  bearing  white  men  visited  the  island  and 
traded  with  the  islanders.  But  some  difficulties 
occurred,  and  numbers  of  his  people  were  killed ; 
and  once  a  horde  of  native  enemies  came  in  ca- 
noes, drove  them  to  their  hidden  caves,  destroyed 
their  homes,  and  killed  hundreds  of  the  people. 
When  Kaitae  and  his  friends  came  out  from  their 
hiding  places  they  found  the  statues,  in  many  cases, 
thrown  down  and  broken  in  pieces,  and  the  tombs 
destroyed.  The  heads  of  the  images  weighed  tons, 
and  many  could  not  be  replaced ;  and  there  they 


21 


lie  to  this  day,  prone  upon  the  side  of  the  great 
volcano. 

A  descendant  of  King  Kaitae,  also  bearing  his 
name,  is,  or  was  a  few  years  ago,  still  living  at 
Easter  Island  —  an  old  man  over  eighty  years  of 
age,  who  delighted  in  talking  to  foreigners  of  the 
wonders  of  his  native  Waihu  in  ancient  days. 


HOW   SOME    BIRDS    ARE    CARED    FOR. 

AMONG  the  birds  we  find  most  striking  acts  of 
affection,  and,  strange  to  say,  most  frequently  among 
the  very  birds  from  which  we  would  least  expect 
such  a  demonstration.  The  uncanny  night  hawk, 

"] 


Whip-poor-wills. 


the  boon  companion  of  the  bat,  which  appears  at 
twilight  and  prolongs  its  revels  far  into  the  night,  is 
an  example.  Rarely  seen  and  little  known,  though 


22 

the  night  hawks  are  a  large  family  and  of  wide 
distribution,  this  bird  shows  remarkable  attachment 
for  its  young,  and  in  protecting  them  exhibits  more 
intelligence  than  many  of  our  domestic  birds. 

The  term  "  night  hawk  "  is  commonly  applied  to 
several  species,  all  of  which  have  certain  peculiari- 
ties. From  its  curious  cry,  one  is  called  chuck- 
will's-widow,  this  call  being  uttered  so  loudly  by  the 
bird  that  it  has  been  heard  for  nearly  a  mile.  About 
the  middle  of  March  the  night  hawks  return  from 
their  winter  pilgrimage ;  and,  unlike  most  of  the 
birds,  they  have  no  housekeeping  to  keep  them  busy, 
as  they  build  no  nests.  While  the  robins,  humming 
birds,  thrushes,  and  others  are  busily  scouring  the 
country  for  material  with  which  to  build  their  nurs- 
eries, the  chuck-will's-widow  is  fast  asleep  in  some 
out-of-the-way  corner,  coming  out  only  in  the  after- 
noon and  evening  to  gather  her  supply  of  food. 

When  the  time  comes  for  laying,  our  seemingly 
lazy  bird  selects  some  secluded  spot,  and  deposits 
her  eggs  anywhere  on  the  ground ;  and  the  very 
first  glimpse,  if  we  are  fortunate  in  finding  them  at 
all,  explains  why  she  builds  no  nest.  The  eggs 
are  almost  the  exact  color  of  the  surroundings,  and 
so  mottled  and  tinted  that  only  by  the  merest  acci- 
dent are  they  discovered ;  and  when  the  two  little 
chuck-will's-widows  finally  come  out,  they  are  even 


23 

more  difficult  to  find  than  the  eggs.  Being  very 
sleepy  little  fellows,  they  rarely  move,  and  though 
standing  within  a  few  inches  of  them,  the  observer 
might  suppose  them  to  be  two  old  brown  leaves 
or  a  bunch  of  brown  moss,  so  deceiving  is  their 
mimicry. 

Though  the  eggs  and  young  are  so  perfectly 
protected  by  nature,  the  parents  are  no  less  zeal- 
ous in  caring  for  them,  and  have  been  seen  to  go 
through  remarkable  performances  in  the  defense 
of  their  home.  When  an  intruder  is  first  discov- 
ered, the  mother  bird  throws  herself  upon  the 
ground,  ruffles  up  her  feathers,  and  limps  or  flut- 
ters, always  moving  away  from  the  apology  for  a 
nest ;  and  when  the  credulous  follower  is  safely  out 
of  the  way,  the  wily  mother,  who  has  led  him  to 
think  she  can  be  easily  caught,  suddenly  recovers 
from  her  lameness,  and  darts  away  to  regain  the 
nest  from  another  direction.  If,  however,  the  nest 
be  found  and  the  eggs  disturbed,  the  birds  show 
the  greatest  distress.  A  naturalist,  who  had  merely 
handled  the  eggs  without  removing  them,  and 
then  concealed  himself  in  a  neighboring  thicket, 
saw  the  parent  birds  come  skimming  over  the 
grass,  alighting  by  the  eggs  in  apparent  distress, 
and  uttering  curious  cries,  as  if  greatly  frightened. 
Finally,  after  a  consultation,  each  bird  opened  its 


24 

great  mouth  (generally  used  as  an  insect  trap),  took 
in  an  egg,  and,  to  the  amazement  of  the  naturalist, 
disappeared,  carrying  the  object  of  solicitude  to  a 
safer  spot. 

The  same  habit  has  been  observed  in  the  collared 
goatsuckers  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which,  like 
our  night  hawk,  have  enormous  mouths.  They 
also  form  no  nest,  relying  upon  the  difficulty  of 
discovering  their  eggs,  which  are  like  the  sur- 
roundings where  they  are  deposited ;  and  when  the 
eggs  are  threatened  by  any  great  danger  the  par- 
ents take  them  in  their  mouths  and  fly  away  — 
certainly  a  convenient  method  of  moving  the  house- 
hold ! 

The  well-known  whip-poor-will,  which  is  at  once 
recognized  by  the  cry  from  which  it  is  named,  ap- 
pears at  dusk,  and  at  one  time  was  an  object  of 
superstitious  fear  to  the  Indians.  These  birds  also 
lay  their  eggs  anywhere  upon  the  ground,  and  have 
been  observed  to  roll  them  along  with  their  bills ; 
but  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  sight  is  to  see 
the  anxious  parent  seize  her  shapeless  chick  by  the 
downy  feathers  of  its  back,  as  a  cat  seizes  a  kitten, 
and  carry  it  away  over  grass  and  sedge  to  some 
more  secluded  spot. 

According  to  Azara,  the  naturalist,  some  curious 
beliefs  are  entertained  in  South  America  concern- 


25 

ing  the  ibijau,  a  night  hawk.  It  is  a  large  bird, 
but  instead  of  laying  its  eggs  on  the  ground,  it 
deposits  them  in  a  hollow  tree,  and,  according  to 
the  natives,  fastens  the  eggs  to  the  wood  with  a 
gum,  which  the  old  bird  breaks  off  when  the  eggs 
are  hatched,  and  so  liberates  the  chick.  But  this 
gumming  process  is  probably  an  accidental  occur- 
rence. 

There  is  one  of  this  tribe,  and  the  largest, —  the 
tawny-shouldered  pogardus  of  Australia  and  New 
Guinea, —  which  takes  the  young  birds  in  its  mouth, 
but  with  a  very  different  purpose  from  that  of  the 
whip-poor-will.  Generally,  these  birds  live  upon 
insects,  which  they  catch  readily  with  their  enor- 
mous mouths ;  but  during  the  mating  season  the 
great,  fluffy  fellows  become  veritable  cannibals,  and 
attack  the  nests  of  other  birds,  taking  out  the 
young,  and  devouring  them,  perhaps  under  the 
impression  that  they  have  discovered  a  new  kind 
of  insect. 

The  demure  duck,  although  a  conscientious 
mother,  and  careful  of  her  brood,  has  never 
been  considered  as  especially  solicitous  for  her  off- 
spring; but  there  is  one  of  the  family  that  per- 
forms a  remarkable  feat  —  remarkable,  at  least,  for 
a  duck.  This  is  the  summer  duck, —  Aix  sponsa, — 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  its  kind.  The  plu- 


26 


mage  of  these  birds  is  exceedingly  rich  and  gaudy, 
marked  with  streaks  of  white  and  black,  the  en- 
tire coat,  in  different  lights,  displaying  various 
tints  of  bronze,  blue,  and  green,  while  its  head, 

the  bill  being 
red,  is  sur- 
mounted by  a 
crestof  glossy 
bronze -green 
feathers  with 

jjSSffiw 

violet  tips,  so 
that  among 
the  green 
leaves  and 
branches  it 
forms  a  strik- 
ing and  beau- 
tiful object. 

Unlike  most  of  its  tribe,  the  wood  duck,  as  it 
is  also  called,  builds  its  nest,  often  many  feet  from 
the  ground,  in  hollow  trees  near  streams.  Here 
the  oval  eggs  are  laid,  and  covered  with  down 
taken  from  the  mother's  breast.  After  a  while  the 
young  appear.  For  a  while  they  are  fed  by  the 
parents ;  and  then  comes  the  momentous  question, 
asked,  perhaps,  by  the  little  ducklings  themselves: 
"  How  shall  we  get  down  ?  "  Sometimes  they  are 


Summer  Ducks. 


27 

a  foot  or  more  below  the  window  of  their  house, 
which  is  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  being  very 
restless  little  fellows  (as  are  all  ducklings),  there 
is  a  constant  jumping  and  scrambling  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  the  outer  world.  The  water  is  so  near 
that  they  can  hear  the  old  folks  diving  and  splash- 
ing about  —  a  provoking  situation,  surely  ;  but  the 
serious  question  of  moving  has  been  considered  by 
the  old  birds,  for  on  the  very  day  that  the  duck- 
lings are  large  enough  to  be  trusted,  they  are  re- 
leased in  a  very  remarkable  manner.  The  male 
duck  takes  his  place  as  sentinel  on  some  neigh- 
boring branch,  uttering  a  low  "  peet-peet,"  while 
the  mother  flies  to  the  nest,  stretches  in  her  neck, 
and  as  one  of  the  ducklings  jumps  toward  her, 
she  seizes  it  gently  with  her  bill,  either  by  its 
soft,  fuzzy  neck  or  by  one  of  its  wings,  and  flies  off, 
notwithstanding  its  objection  to  this  strange  treat- 
ment. She  deposits  it  safely  on  the  ground,  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree.  Up  she  goes,  without  paus- 
ing, and  another  bird  is  fished  out  of  the  nest  in 
the  same  way,  and  then  another,  until  in  a  very 
few  moments  the  entire  brood  are  running  about 
on  the  ground,  wagging  their  downy  tails,  and 
poking  their  little  bills  into  every  attractive  spot. 
It  is  a  proud  moment  for  the  parents.  The  male 
descends  from  his  watchtower,  and  the  pair  waddle 


28 

away  to  the  pond,  followed  by  the  entire  family  of 
ducklings,  and  all  are  soon  enjoying  the  delights  of 
free,  rollicking  life  on  the  water.  The  nest  is  from 
this  time  deserted  until  the  ensuing  year,  .the 
young  brood  being  led  at  night  to  some  deep 
thicket  in  the  woods. 

The  ruffed  grouse  often  starts  up  at  our  feet  and 
dashes  away  with  a  loud,  whirring  noise  which  is 
extremely  startling  to  the  novice.  The  nest  is 
formed  upon  the  ground,  of  grass  and  small  sticks, 
generally  at  the  foot  of  a  bush 
or  tree,  under  cover,  and  often 
skillfully  made  to  resem- 
ble its  surroundings. 

Sometimes  a 
grouse  loses  all 
her  brood  but 
one;  and  on  one 
such  occasion 
the  mother's  ac- 
tions were  much 

Ruffed  Grouse.  Hke      those      re_ 

lated  of  the  chuck-will's-widow.  At  the  appear- 
ance of  the  gunner,  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet, 
as  usual,  and  for  a  moment  exercised  all  her  arts 
and  wiles;  but  the  little  one,  not  daring  to  leave 
her,  rendered  them  useless.  Seeing  this,  she  hesi- 


29 

tated  a  moment ;  then,  seizing  the  chick  by  its 
downy  feathers  with  her  bill,  and  rising,  she  flew 
away  with  it.  She  disappeared  in  a  thicket,  leav- 
ing the  gunner  wondering  at  her  ingenuity.  The 
hunter  who  noted  this  was  Wilson,  the  famous 
American  ornithologist,  and  he  says :  "  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  me  to  kill  this  affec- 
tionate mother,  who  had  exhibited  such  an  exam- 
ple of  presence  of  mind,  reason,  and  sound  judg- 
ment as  must  have  convinced  the  most  bigoted 
advocates  of  mere  instinct." 

In  the  far  northern  countries,  innumerable  birds 
find  homes  on  high  cliffs,  utterly  inaccessible  from 
the  sea.  So  numerous  are  they  that,  as  their  white 
or  black  feathers  are  turned  seaward,  they  change 
the  very  appearance  of  the  cliffs  to  light  or  dark. 
On  these  crags,  at  a  dizzy  height  above  the  water, 
breed  the  guillemots,  shapely  birds  with  black  back 
and  head,  and  white  breast.  Standing  on  the  rocks, 
they  appear  like  pygmy  men  decked  out  in  white 
waistcoats.  Their  eggs  are  often  placed  on  the 
rocks, —  there  being  little  semblance  of  a  nest, — 
and  when  the  young  bird  appears  it  is  confronted 
with  a  leap  far  more  to  be  dreaded  than  that  already 
described  as  being  before  the  young  ducks ;  but  in 
this  case  also  the  old  bird  sometimes  comes  to  the 
rescue,  and  bears  it  safely  down  to  the  welcome 


30 

water.  This,  however,  is  not  done  with  the  bill, 
the  young  guillemots  being  probably  too  heavy  for 
such  transportation  ;  so  the  mother  crouches  down 
upon  the  rock,  and,  by  threatening  or  coaxing, 
persuades  the  young  bird  to  mount  upon  her  back, 
between  her  wings,  and  boldly  launches  off,  drop- 
ping gently  down,  perhaps  several  hundred  feet, 
upon  the  water. 

In  the  year  1867  six  pairs  of  English  skylarks 
were  brought  to  this  country  and  released  on  the 
meadows  in  Central  Park.  Hardly  an  English  poet 
but  has  praised  the  song  of  the  skylark.  It  is  a 
glorious  melody,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
bird  better  known  or  more  widely  appreciated  ;  yet 
but  few  are  aware  of  the  intelligence  it  sometimes 
displays  when  rearing  its  young. 

The  nest  is  generally  placed  in  the  high  grass  of 
meadows ;  and  a  naturalist,  in  wandering  through 
a  field  one  spring,  came  by  chance  upon  an  entire 
family.  Anxious  to  observe  their  movements,  he 
withdrew  a  few  paces,  and  there  witnessed  a  curious 
proceeding.  The  old  birds  seemed  greatly  agi- 
tated, and  were  making  a  loud  noise  and  darting 
about  as  if  undecided  what  to  do.  Finally,  the 
mother  popped  into  the  nest,  seized  one  of  the 
birds,  and,  lifting  it  upon  her  back,  rose  and  flew 
away.  Her  mate  almost  immediately  attempted  the 


same  feat ;  but,  whether  because  he  was  unused  to 
the  operation  or  not,  the  little  bird  would  slip  off. 
He  finally  succeeded,  with  much  difficulty,  in  balan- 
cing his  load,  and  flew  after  his  mate.  In  a  few 
moments  both  returned,  and  they  repeated  their 
former  action  until  they  had  removed  every  bird 
from  the  discovered  nest. 

The  same  observer  on  another  occasion  saw  a 
skylark,  when  startled  from  its  nest,  seize  an  egg 
in  its  claws  and  dart  away.  Possibly  it  had  had 
some  experience  with  nest  robbers,  and  was  deter- 
mined to  foil  them  this  time,  at  least.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  lark's  foot,  with  its  enormously  long  toe 
and  fourth  nail,  will  make  it  clear  how  this  feat  was 
easily  performed. 

Not  long  ago,  a  professor  in  one  of  the  Western 
colleges  observed  an  interesting  exhibition  of  moth- 
erly affection  in  the  woodcock.  He  was  out  walk- 
ing, wherr  the  bird  started  up  almost  at  his  feet,  and 
flew  away  over  the  bush.  Aiming  his  gun,  he  was 
about  to  fire,  when  he  noticed  that  she  held  some- 
thing between  her  claws.  Curious  to  see  what  it 
was,  the  observer  followed  in  headlong  pursuit 
through  the  bushes.  As  her  flight  was  some- 
what labored,  he  soon  came  near  enough  to  distin- 
guish a  downy  little  woodcock —  a  mere  bunch  of 
fuzz  with  a  long  beak  and  beadlike  eyes  —  resting 


between  the  mother's  claws ;  but  then,  with  her 
precious  load,  the  cunning  mother  suddenly  darted 
into  cover  and  disappeared. 

Several  other  observers  have  witnessed  similar 
occurrences,  in  this  country  and  in  England.  Their 
testimony  shows  that  these  birds  undoubtedly  have 
much  more  intelligence  than  is  usually  accorded 
to  them. 

The  remarkable  devices  of  various  bird  mothers  for 
protecting  their  homes  and  young  are  innumerable. 

Some  of  the  cuckoos 
deposit  their  eggs  in 
the  nests  of  other 
birds,  among  the 
eggs  already  there, 
thus  shirking  mater- 
nal cares.  Their  off- 
spring, thus  aban- 
doned, are  well 
lodged,  as  no  sooner 
are  the  young  cuck- 
oos hatched  than 
the  little  interlopers 
throw  out  the  other 

A  Flycatcher's  Nest.  * 

eggs,    or    even    the 

young  birds,  and  thus  obtain  the  food  rightfully 
belonging  to  the  dispossessed  brood. 


33 

The  great-crested  flycatcher,  and  several  others, 
are  said  by  writers  to  adopt  an  exceedingly  novel 
method  to  frighten  away  other  birds  and  lizards 
that  would  prey  upon  their  eggs.  They  wind  into 
their  nests  one  or  more  of  the  old  skins  which  have 
been  shed  by  snakes,  so  that  these  appear  to  be 
live  snakes  coiled  about  the  nests.  I  believe  few 
nests  of  the  great-crested  flycatcher  have  ever 
been  found  without  one  of  these  sham  snakes  as  a 
presumable  protection  against  marauders. 

JACK   AND   JILL   REYNARD. 

JACK  and  Jill  Reynard,  before  I  became  acquainted 
with  them,  lived  in  a  deep,  dark  valley  in  the  Sierra 
Madre  Mountains — a  canyon  that  was  a  green  river 
in  its  beauty  of  foliage,  as  it  wound  away  for  miles 
through  the  heart  of  the  mighty  range. 

Jack  and  Jill  were  mountain  folk,  having  their 
home  in  the  thick  growth  of  greasewood  and  man- 
zanita  that  covered  the  slopes,  perhaps  lying  on 
isolated  rocks  in  sunny  places  during  the  day,  and 
only  occasionally  venturing  down  into  the  lowland 
at  night,  when  their  human  enemies  were  sound 
asleep. 

If  foxes  talk,  I  have  no  doubt  that  Jack  and  Jill 
were  cautioned  about  these  lowland  expeditions  by 

STO.  AN.  LIFE — 3 


34 

certain  old  and  gray  foxes,  and  warned  that  there 
was  danger  even  at  night.  Be  this  as  it  may,  Jack 
became  the  unfortunate  possessor  of  the  secret, 
brought,  perhaps,  on  the  wind  itself,  that  in  a  cer- 
tain ranch  yard  there  were  some  dainty  young 
chickens. 

Jack,  apparently,  did  not  trust  his  secret  to  any 
one,  not  even  to  his  companion  Jill ;  and  one  night 
when  it  was  very  dark,  and  even  the  coyotes  did 
not  care  to  venture  out,  he  strolled  down  the 
mountain,  crept  through  the  manzanita  brush  to  a 
trail,  and  gayly  trotted  down  into  the  valley. 

Jack  failed  to  appear  the  next  morning,  or  the 
next  thereafter,  and  Jill,  in  all  probability,  decided  to 
look  for  him.  At  all  events,  on  another  night,  when 
the  moon  was  but  a  faint  crescent  against  the  sky, 
she  stole  quietly  away,  following  the  same  trail 
over  which  Jack  had  passed  a  few  nights  before, 
until  she  saw  a  ranch  house  where  lights  were 
gleaming;  then  she  stopped,  raised  her  pointed 
nose  high  in  air  and  sniffed,  looked  about  her,  and 
sniffed  again.  As  she  stepped  around  a  tall  yucca, 
she  made  out  in  the  darkness  a  chicken  roosting  on 
a  limb  of  greasewood.  Here  was  a  supper ;  and 
with  a  quick  jump  Jill  seized  the  fowl.  Then  came 
a  sharp,  quick  sound,  and,  uttering  a  cry  of  fear, 
poor  Jill  found  herself  caught  in  the  jaws  of  a  steel 


35 

trap  that  held  her  fast.  Struggles,  tears  (if  foxes 
weep),  moans,  and  howls  were  of  no  avail,  but  Jill 
fought  fitfully  for  freedom  throughout  the  long 
night.  In  the  morning  the  rancher  appeared, 
smiling  as  if  he  knew  where  Jack  had  gone.  He 
released  poor  terrified  Jill,  and,  instead  of  killing 
her,  handled  her  injured  paw  carefully  —  so  gently, 
in  fact,  that  she  made  no  attempt  to  bite.  Taking 
her  under  his  arm,  he  strode  down  to  the  ranch, 
jumped  into  his  carriage,  and  an  hour  later  drove 
into  an  orange  grove  in  Pasadena.  Here  the  first 
thing  Jill  saw,  when  released  from  the  bag  in  which 
she  had  been  carried,  was  Master  Jack  sitting 
under  an  orange  tree,  with  a  fine  collar  about  his 
neck,  and  looking  as  comfortable  as  you  please, 
except  that  he  was  holding  up  one  paw.  So  he, 
too,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  trap  ! 

Jill  was  soon  provided  with  a  collar  and  chain, 
and  tied  to  the  same  tree  ;  and  so  they  met  again. 

Exactly  what  they  said,  I  cannot  pretend  to  tell ; 
but  what  I  think  they  said,  as  I  watched  them  from 
my  window,  was  this : 

"  Did  you  come  down  to  find  me,  Jill  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  was  caught  in  a  trap,"  was  Jill's 
answer. 

"  So  was  I,"  Jack  must  have  said,  for  he  held  up 
his  paw  and  groaned  dismally. 


36 

"  Ah  !  if  you  had  not  made  such  a  secret  of  it  — 
if  you  had  been  generous  and  told  me  about  the 
ranch,  I  could  have  gone  with  you,  and  we  should 
not  have  been  here,"  was  what  Jill  had  to  say  next. 
"  You  were  going  to  eat  that  chicken  alone,  Jack. 
You  know  you  were." 

"  Did  you  bite  that  man,  coming  down  ?  "  asked 
Jack,  probably  being  quite  willing  to  change  the 
subject. 

-No,"  Jill  replied. 

Though  Jack  had  been  very  savage  at  first,  Jack 
and  Jill  grew  tamer  each  day,  and  never  attempted 
to  bite  their  mistress.  They  ate  from  her  hand, 
and  permitted  her  to  stroke  their  glossy  fur  and 
brushes.  Occasionally  there  was  a  little  trouble. 
Mouse  and  Dinah,  two  pet  greyhounds,  grew  jeal- 
ous of  the  attention  of  their  mistress.  To  stand 
by  and  see  a  fox  —  or,  worse,  two  foxes  —  have  a 
whole  chop,  and  then  be  offered  the  bones,  was 
too  much  to  bear ;  so,  as  soon  as  their  mistress  was 
out  of  sight,  Mouse  and  Dinah  would  draw  near, 
and  while  one  attracted  the  foxes'  attention,  the 
other  would  attempt  to  steal  the  chop.  This  went 
on  for  some  time,  and  Jack  had  almost  made  up 
his  mind  to  bite  some  one  —  in  fact,  he  did  give 
his  mistress  one  little  nip  —  before  the  reason  was 
discovered. 


37 

Jack  and  Jill  grew  fatter  every  day,  and  I  often 
saw  them  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  little 
stream  with  ears  up,  evidently  listening  for  the 
sound  of  waters  that  came  from  their  mountain 
home. 

As  a  rule  they  were  taken  to  the  stable  at  night. 
Once,  however,  they  were  forgotten,  and  a  coyote 
roamed  up  through  the  grove,  and  undoubtedly 
would  have  made  a  late  supper ;  but  here  a  curious 
trick  of  southern  California  foxes  came  into  play 
and  saved  them.  They  both  climbed  the  tree,  and 
from  the  top  branches  looked  down  on  Don  Coy- 
ote, who  could  but  stand  upon  his  hind  legs  and 
give  utterance  to  his  weird,  laughing  bark.  How 
Jack  and  Jill  gained  the  top  of  the  tree  might  be 
a  mystery  to  people  in  the  East,  for  foxes  there, 
as  a  rule,  do  not  climb  trees  ;  but  this  pair  "  shinned 
up  "  in  a  way  well  known  to  active  boys.  In  fox- 
hunting here,  I  have  known  the  sly  Reynards  to 
leap  into  a  tree,  climb,  and  reach  from  its  branches 
the  limbs  of  a  tall  sycamore,  and,  by  following  the 
masses  of  vines  which  interlace  the  arroyo,  travel 
for  some  distance  without  touching  the  ground,  to 
the  confusion  of  the  foxhounds,  who  sought  in  vain 
for  the  scent. 

Jack  and  Jill  soon  regained  their  spirits,  and 
when  the  lame  paws  were  cured  they  were  as 


38 

bright  foxes  as  ever  stole  a  chicken ;  and  as  they 
were  so  attractive,  it  was  decided  that  they  must 
have  their  pictures  taken.  So  one  day  a  very 


Jack  and  Jill  Reynard. 

patient  photographer  succeeded  in  making  a  pic- 
ture of  them. 

Now,  whether  they  thought  that  the  photograph 
might  be  used  in  identifying  them  in  case  of  an 
escape,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  neither  fox  would  look 
up  when  placed  on  the  piazza  railing,  and  it  took 
three  grown  persons,  besides  boys  and  dogs,  to 
keep  their  attention  ;  then,  just  as  the  photographer 
was  ready,  Jack  would  look  down  again,  and  Jill 
would  follow  suit.  Finally,  the  photographer  imi- 
tated the  cries  of  dogs,  cats,  and  various  animals, 
the  boys  shouted,  I  snapped  the  whip  and  threat- 


39 

ened  them  with  the  pack  of  foxhounds  (only  too 
willing  to  dine  upon  them),  their  mistress  waved 
a  white  banner  from  the  balcony  above,  until,  amid 
a  perfect  pandemonium,  Jack  and  Jill  looked  up, 
the  camera  clicked  —  and  the  picture  was  taken. 
But  one  day  Jack  escaped.  Whether  frightened 
by  the  photographer,  or  overcome  by  homesick- 
ness, no  one  knows ;  but  one  morning  he  was  gone, 
and  the  truth  of  history  requires  the  statement  that 
soon  "  Jill  went  tumbling  after." 

SOME   CURIOUS   FISHERMEN. 

A  NATURALIST  was  wandering  along  one  of  the 
many  small  lakes  which  form  a  characteristic  feature 
of  certain  portions  of  England,  when  he  saw  a  large 
goose  fluttering  toward  him,  creating  a  great  dis- 
turbance on  the  smooth  water.  When  he  first 
observed  the  bird  it  was  some  distance  from  shore, 
but  by  the  time  he  reached  the  water  it  came 
fluttering  and  hissing  up  the  bank,  continuing  its 
flight  over  the  grass,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of 
the  observer,  dragging  a  pike,  that  danced  about 
as  if  objecting  decidedly  to  such  an  unceremonious 
landing.  The  gentleman  was  about  to  follow  the 
pair,  when  a  party  of  boys  appeared,  flushed  from 
a  hard  run,  and  claimed  the  goose  and  fish,  on  the 


4o 

ground  that  the  goose  was  their  property  and  had 
been  fishing  for  them. 

"  We  use  her  to  catch  pike,"  said  the  spokesman 
of  the  party,  "  and  it's  very  easy  when  you  know 
how.  You  see,"  he  continued,  "  we  first  catch  the 
goose, —  and  that's  the  hardest  part, —  and  then  we 
take  a  fish  line  about  eight  feet  long,  fasten  a  baited 
hook  or  a  spoon  to  it,  and  tie  it  to  the  leg  of  the 
goose  and  let  her  go.  She  takes  to  the  water,  you 
see,  and  drags  the  line,  and  in  a  few  moments,  if 
it's  the  right  time,  you'll  see  her  coming  in,  just  as 
you  did  now.  You  see,  the  pike  gets  hooked,  jerks 
her  leg,  and  of  course  she  starts  for  the  shore,  and 
drags  the  pike  up  on  the  green." 

This  curious  and  laughable  method  of  catching 
fish  is  not  confined  to  geese  or  to  England,  cer- 
tain birds  in  various  parts  of  the  world  being 
utilized  in  a  similar  way.  Some  years  ago  I  had 
an  acquaintance  on  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
near  Yucatan,  who,  not  averse  to  having  life  made 
as  easy  as  possible,  bethought  him  that  the  pelican 
could  be  used  to  reduce  the  time  expended  in  what 
he  termed  "  labor."  It  so  happened  that  he  had  sev- 
eral tame  pelicans, —  long-necked,  huge-pouched, 
asthmatic-voiced  fellows, —  and  one  of  these,  named 
Jack,  he  selected  to  experiment  with.  He  had 
nailed  a  piece  of  plank  to  his  cabin,  so  that  it  ex- 


tended  out  six  or  seven  feet,  and  on  this  the  tame 
pelicans  roosted  at  night,  and  clapped  their  bills 
during  the  day,  and  every  morning  at  about  six 
they  could  be  seen  flying  away 
to  the  adjoining  reef  to  ob- 
tain their  breakfast,  which 
consisted  of  small  sar- 
dines. It  happened 
that  these  little 
fishes,  also  called 
"  hardheads,"  were 
very  choice  bait,  and 
much  esteemed  by 
my  acquaintance, 

but  difficult  to  catch,  so  he  devised  the 
following  plan  to  obtain  bait  and  make 
the  pelicans  earn  their  own  living. 

Overnight  he  fastened  about  the  narrow  neck  of 
the  pelican  Jack  a  leather  strap,  and  arose  early 
the  next  morning  to  watch  the  success  of  his  ruse. 
The  birds  started  out  as  usual,  and  soon  Jack  dived 
into  the  water,  and  a  moment  later  rose  triumphant, 
with  his  pouch  filled  with  struggling  sardines.  The 
bird  tossed  his  head  to  swallow,  but  the  strap  pre- 
vented. Again  and  again  the  puzzled  bird  essayed 
to  enjoy  the  results  of  his  capture,  but  finally  gave 
it  up  and  flew  ashore,  and  alighted  on  his  roost, 


42 

still  carrying  the  burden,  which  was  now  secured  by 
the  owner. 

When  the  first  Europeans  went  among  the  na- 
tives of  the  islands  about  Cuba,  they  found  a 
remarkable  method  of  turtle-catching  in  vogue. 
This  consisted  in  using  a  fish  known  as  the  remora, 
or  sucking  fish,  from  a  remarkable  disk  or  sucking 
plate  upon  the  head.  Upon  examination,  it  resem- 
bles somewhat  the  Venetian  blind,  consisting  of  a 
series  of  seeming  slats.  I  have  often  seen  the  fish 
make  use  of  its  sucker  on  a  shark,  and  its  sole  pur- 
pose seemed  to  be  to  enable  the  fish  to  rest.  The 
remoras  are  social  in  their  habits,  and  are  always 
found  following  some  larger  fish.  Usually  they 
swim  along,  their  dark  forms  presenting  a  striking 
contrast  against  the  dun-colored  shark  ;  but  if  tired, 
or  if  the  shark  is  hooked,  they  immediately  reverse 
sides,  and  fasten  their  disk  upon  their  great  com- 
panion, and  are  thus  towed  along  without  the 
slightest  exertion  on  their  part. 

When  a  native  turtler  went  out  fishing,  he  took, 
instead  of  the  peg  in  use  on  the  Florida  reef,  a  pail 
of  remoras,  each  of  which  had  a  leather  ring  about 
its  tail.  To  this  was  fastened  a  long  line  about  as 
stout  as  an  ordinary  cod  line.  The  canoe  or  boat 
was  slowly  and  carefully  sculled  along  until  a  sleep- 
ing turtle  was  espied  upon  the  bottom,  upon  which 


43 


CAl' 


the  remoras,  two  or  three,  depending  upon  the  size 
of  the  turtle,  were  dropped  overboard.  At  first  they 
would  perhaps  swim  wildly  about,  at  loss  without 
some  protector ;  but  very  soon  they  would  discover 
the  turtle,  dart  toward  it,  and  fasten  their  plates  to  its 
shell.  Perhaps  this  would  not  awaken  it,  as  it  is  a 
very  quiet  operation  ;  but  a  tug  at  the  strings  would 
surely  arouse  it,  and  with  a  rush  it  was  at  the  sur- 
face, where  it  took  a  quick  breath,  then,  catching  a 
glimpse  of  the  canoe,  it  was  off  like  an  arrow.  The 
natives  would  now  throw  over  the  line,  gradually  put- 
ting a  strain  upon  it,  and  in  a  very  few 
moments  the  canoe  would  be  rushing  x 

along  through    the    water, 
towed  by  the  great  tur- 
tle,  with    the    remoras 
as  traces.     The  chase 
depended    upon    the 
size    of   the    turtle, 
and      sometimes 
lasted      nearly     an 
hour,      the      fishes 
never       releasing 

their        hold        until  Fishing  with  the  Remora. 

their  victim  was  hauled  alongside  and  lifted  in, 
when  they  were  forcibly  taken  off  and  placed  in 
a  pail  to  await  the  appearance  of  another  victim. 


44 

Curiously,  in  nature  we  find  some  fishermen 
whose  methods  show  a  remarkable  similarity  to 
human  devices.  An  interesting  example  is  seen 
in  a  common  American  fish,  the  angler.  In  appear- 
ance it  is  a  hideous  object,  literally  a  great  fleshy 
bag  two  or  three  feet  in  length,  with  an  enormous 
mouth.  It  can  flatten  out  to  an  astonishing  degree, 
and  when  it  goes  fishing,  if  it  does,  according  to 
popular  belief,  we  can  imagine  it  lying  flat  on  the 
bottom,  looking  like  a  mossy  rock,  as  in  its  color  it 
is  almost  a  perfect  mimic  of  its  surroundings.  Not 
only  this,  but  nearly  the  entire  family  are  provided 
with  a  marvelous  assortment  of  fleshy  barbels, 
which  hang  from  under  the  mouth  and  various 
parts  of  the  body,  in  shape  and  color  almost  like  the 
local  seaweed ;  and  as  they  wave  to  and  fro,  the 
deception  is  remarkable,  and  the  fisherman  is  as 
completely  disguised  as  occasion  demands.  But 
where,  you  will  ask,  is  the  rod  and  line?  Surely 
fishes  do  not  have  such  conveniences?  The  rod  of 
the  angler  is  the  first  spine  of  its  dorsal  fin,  and  the 
second  and  third  can  also  be  used  in  some  cases. 
In  one  that  I  examined,  the  first  rod  was  about  eight 
or  ten  inches  in  length,  slender  and  pliable,  and 
of  the  exact  color  of  the  fish.  The  base  or  butt 
was  fastened  to  a  slender  opal-hued  bone,  exactly 
as  a  staple  is  to  the  hook  that  holds  it,  of  course 


45 

being  hidden  beneath  the  skin,  flesh,  and  muscles. 
Some  fishermen,  particularly  young  folks,  do  away 
with  hooks,  especially  when  the  bait  is  very  good, 
and  this  is  said  to  be  the  case  with  the  angler. 
It  has  no  hook,  or  even  line.  The  so-called  bait, 
a  fleshy,  shining,  often  highly  colored  bit  of  mem- 
brane, dangles  at  the  very  tip  of  the  rod,  and  when 
the  great  fisherman  is  nicely  hidden  in  the  weeds, 
it  is  supposed  to  be  gently  lowered  or  bent  forward, 
so  that  the  bait  hangs  just  in  front  of  the  cavernous 
mouth  with  its  rows  of  movable  teeth.  Perhaps 
the  bait  dangles  like  a  worm  in  the  current,  and 
soon  some  unsuspecting  small  fry  spies  it,  darts 
ahead,  and  the  bait  moves  away.  The  rod  is  grad- 
ually being  lifted,  and  finally  the  victim  is  hovering 
just  over  the  mouth.  Then  perhaps  the  green  eyes 
of  the  Lophius  twinkle  with  satisfaction,  the  rod 
is  jerked  back,  a  great  cavern  opens  below  the 
inquisitive  fish,  and  into  the  capacious  cavity  it  is 
drawn,  and  down  comes  the  rod,  ready  for  another 
bite.  This  is  the  popular  belief  regarding  the  use 
of  the  fin,  or  fishing  rod,  but  it  is  only  just  to  say 
that  no  naturalist  has  ever  observed  the  act. 

A  number  of  other  fishes  have  a  somewhat  similar 
arrangement  by  which  they  could  secure  prey,  but 
the  angler  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable. 


46 


THE    GREYHOUND. 

S  I  write,  a  greyhound,  faith- 
VJs  ful  and  true,  is  looking  up 
into  my  face,  her  long, 
slender  muzzle  resting  on 
my  arm,  her  eyes  beaming 
with  intelligence.  She  is 
blinking,  puffing  out  her  lips, 
whining  —  in  fact,  laughing 
and  talking,  after  her  fash- 
ion ;  and  probably  this  is 
what  she  is  trying  to  say : 
"  I  am  a  greyhound.  I  can 

outrun  any  hare  in  California,  and  when  I  was 
younger  and  not  so  heavy  I  could  jump  up  be- 
hind my  master  on  the  horse,  when  the  grass 
and  flowers  were  tall,  and  so  look  around  for  a 
jack  rabbit." 

Mouse  does  not  mention  that  the  horse  decidedly 
objected  to  her  sharp  claws,  sometimes  bucking  to 
throw  her  off,  and  thus  has  often  made  it  very  un- 
comfortable for  her  master.  She  has  just  taken 
her  head  from  my  arm,  offended  perhaps  at  this 
breach  of  confidence,  so  I  must  continue  the  story 
without  further  comment  from  her. 


47 

Mouse  is  but  one  of  a  number  of  greyhounds  that 
I  have  owned.  Some  were  mouse-colored,  like 
Mouse  herself;  others  a  tawny  hue;  others  again, 
mouse  and  white.  And  in  the  field  together  they 
presented  a  fine  appearance  —  long,  slender  forms, 
delicate  limbs,  powerful  muscles,  ratlike  tails,  deep 
chests,  pointed  muzzles,  and  feet  like  springy  cush- 
ions. They  are  quaintly  described  in  the  old  lines : 
i 

"  Headed  like  a  snake, 

Necked  like  a  drake, 

Backed  like  a  beam, 

Sided  like  a  bream, 

Tailed  like  a  rat, 

And  footed  like  a  cat." 

When  preparing  for  an  outing,  Mouse  and  Di- 
nah (the  latter  being  her  baby,  though  taller  than 
the  mother)  well  know  what  is  to  come.  When 
crop,  gloves,  saddle,  and  bridle  appear,  they  be- 
come intensely  excited,  and  insist  upon  holding 
my  gloves  or  the  crop,  and,  when  I  mount,  leap  up 
against  the  horse  again  and  again  with  every  ex- 
pression of  delight. 

As  we  ride  out  of  the  orange  grove,  it  is  a  mild 
and  delicious  morning.  Hills,  fields,  and  meadows 
are  green;  roses  are  on  every  side;  oranges  glisten 
on  the  dark-green  trees ;  the  air  is  rich  with  floral 


48 

odors  and  filled  with  the  song  of  birds.  Snow  is 
gleaming  on  the  big  peaks  of  the  mountains  ;  it  is 
winter  there,  over  the  tops  of  the  orange  trees,  but 
summer  down  here  in  the  valley.  No  wonder  the 
dogs  are  delighted,  and  the  horses  need  the  curb  ! 
Ladies  and  gentlemen  now  appear,  coming  out  of 
the  side  streets,  and  bound  for  the  "  meet,"  followed 
by  coaches  with  merry  riders,  all  headed  for  the 
mesa  at  the  foot  of  the  range. 

Presently  the  silvery  notes  of  a  horn  are  borne 
melodiously  on  the  wind,  and  out  from  the  shadow 
of  the  eucalyptus  grove  comes  the  pack  of  hounds 
from  San  Marino,  one  of  the  beautiful  homes  in 
the  San  Gabriel.  A  few  moments  later  the  hunt 
is  together  on  a  lofty  hill  overlooking  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Young  folks  are  patting  and 
admiring  the  dogs ;  and  noble  fellows  these  dogs, 
are.  Among  them  are  some  great,  tawny,  leo- 
nine creatures,  brought  from  Australia,  where 
they  hunted  the  kangaroo  ;  others  are  mouse- 
colored,  and  one  is  jet  black.  Each  a  bunch  of 
springs  and  nerves,  a  noble  group  they  make 
—  Dinah,  Silk,  Raymon,  Fleet,  Eclipse,  and  many 
more. 

The  hunt  is  made  up  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
lovers  of  riding  and  dogs.  Thirty  or  more  are  on 
horseback,  with  invited  guests  from  all  over  the 


49 

county,  and  the  remainder  in  coaches  and  car- 
riages, who  follow  the  hunt  in  this  way,  and  at 
noon  meet  the  riders  at  breakfast  in  some  shaded 
nook.  The  horn  sounds  gleefully.  The  great, 
high-pointed  Mexican  saddles,  which  the  gentlemen 
use,  are  looked  after.  Horses  champ  their  musical 
bits,  eager  to  be  off;  and  finally,  at  the  word,  the 
cavalcade  winds  slowly  down  the  hill,  spreading 
out  over  the  mesa  —  a  gently  rising  tract,  the  slope 
of  the  mountains,  planted  with  grape,  orange,  and 
olive,  with  intervening  spaces  of  very  low  brush. 
Two  miles  or  less  away  rise  the  Sierra  Madres, 
like  a  huge  stone  wall,  with  peaks  from  four  thou- 
sand to  eleven  thousand  feet  high  ;  and  along  their 
base  the  hunt  proceeds.  A  few  feet  in  advance, 
mounted  on  a  fiery  broncho,  is  the  master  of  the 
hounds,  with  his  silver  horn.  The  dogs  separate, 
and  move  slowly  ahead,  wading  now  through  banks 
of  golden  poppies,  wild  heliotrope,  and  brown- 
backed  violets.  Greyhounds  do  not  hunt  by  scent, 
as  foxhounds  do,  but  by  sight  alone ;  so  every  now 
and  then  they  stop  to  look  about,  all  the  while 
keeping  a  keen  eye  ahead. 

Suddenly  there  is  a  shout,  and  horses  and  dogs 
are  away.  From  under  the  very  nose  of  Mouse 
a  curious  apparition  springs  up  —  a  fluffy  object 
of  grayish  tints.  It  is  the  jack  rabbit! — the  enemy 

STO.  AN.  LIFE— 4 


50 

of  the  farmer,  the  girdler  of  fruit  trees.  For  an 
instant  he  stands  astonished,  wondering  what  it  is 
all  about,  then  dashes  away  like  a  rocket,  and  is 
followed  by  the  field.  Nearly  all  the  dogs  see 
him,  while  those  which  do  not  follow  the  others. 
The  horses  seem  to  understand  the  shout,  and  in 
a  moment  are  off  in  a  wild  race  over  the  mesa, 
beating  down  the  flowers,  and  throwing  clods  of 
earth  behind  them. 

The  jack,  true  to  his  instincts,  makes  for  the 
low  brush  in  a  washout.  He  seems  a  streak  of 
light  disappearing  and  reappearing  here  and  there. 
The  dogs  are  doing  their  best,  working  like  ma- 
chines. Watch  their  wonderful  running !  Even 
at  the  terrific  pace,  with  ditches,  and  holes  dug  by 
gophers,  badgers,  or  owls  to  look  out  for,  the 
action  of  the  beautiful  dogs  attracts  our  attention. 
They  sweep  on  like  the  wind  —  a  kaleidoscopic 
effect  of  grays  and  yellows,  passing  and  repassing. 
Now  Silk  leads;  then,  in  turn,  the  blue  dog  is  ahead. 
See !  Mouse  is  in  the  air.  Losing  sight  of  the 
game,  she  leaps  bodily  three  feet  upward  over 
the  brush,  looks  quickly  around,  catches  sight  of 
the  fleeing  form,  and  is  away  again.  The  speed 
is  marvelous !  No  race  horse  can  keep  up  with 
a  thoroughbred  racing  greyhound ;  yet  the  field  is 
doing  bravely.  One  little  boy,  though  far  behind, 


follows  pluckily,  his  short-legged  pony  struggling 
sturdily  through  a  plowed  field. 

The  hare  has  dashed  across  the  washout  and 
up  a  large  vineyard,  around  and  down  a  well- 
known  road.  How  they  go !  Four,  six,  ten 
horses  all  bunched,  and  running  like  the  wind  — 
a  wild,  melodious  jangle  of  hoofs,  spurs,  and  bit 
chains.  Up  go  the  dogs  suddenly.  "Jump!" 
cries  the  master  of  the  hounds,  warningly,  turning 
in  his  saddle.  The  hare  has  stopped  abruptly  at 
the  edge  of  a  dry  ditch,  and  turned  at  a  sharp 
angle.  Some  of  the  dogs  go  over  and  sweep 
around  in  great  curves,  while  others  break  off  on 
both  sides,  and  are  soon  following  the  game  over 
the  back  track.  A  noble  chase  it  is !  Everything 
favors  the  hare,  and  he  is  making  a  great  run. 
Hunters  give  out ;  one  or  two  dogs  are  fagged  ;  but 
over  the  green  fields  and  down  toward  the  city 
goes  the  main  body  of  the  hunt.  The  little  fellow 
on  the  pony  has  become  discouraged.  The  pony 
is  breathing  hard,  and  his  brave  rider's  yellow  locks 
have  evidently  been  in  contact  with  the  pin  clover. 

But  courage !  What  is  this  ?  A  shout  from 
below,  and  he  sees  the  jack,  with  ears  flat, —  a 
signal  of  distress, —  coming  up  the  slope.  The 
dogs  have  turned  him  again.  Off  the  young  rider 
goes  over  the  field,  side  by  side  with  hare  and 


52 

hounds.  Soon  a  big  mouse-colored  dog  darts 
ahead,  overtakes  the  hare,  and  kills  him  instantly. 
Often  the  dog  inserts  its  long  nose  beneath  the 


"  Often  the  dog  tosses  him  into  the  air." 

hare,  and  tosses  him  into  the  air.  A  moment 
later  the  entire  field  is  about  the  catch,  and  the 
long  ears  and  diminutive  brush  of  this  farmers' 
pest  decorate  the  hat  of  the  first  lady  in  at  the 
finish. 

Panting  dogs  and  horses  and  flushed  riders  are 
grouped   about ;  owners    making   excuses  for  pet 


53 


dogs,  and  all  agreeing  that  the  hare  was  a  most 
extraordinary  old  fellow,  wily  and  conceited.  He 
must  have  girdled  many  peach  and  cherry  trees  in 
his  time,  and  no  one  mourns  his  fate. 

The  run  is  discussed,  and  its  good  points  dilated 
upon  ;  favorite  horses  are  petted,  and  young  men 
with  suspicious  grass  stains  on  their  coats  and 
trousers  are  ridiculed  by  more  fortu- 
nate riders.  Now  one  may  see  a 
thirsty  dog  drinking 
from  a  canteen  which 
one  of  the  huntsmen 
has  unslung,  while 
other  dogs  await  their 
turn ;  others  again 
are  lying  on  the  cool 
grass,  panting  like 
steam  engines,  yet 
very  proud  of  their 
work.  Half  an  hour 
or  more  is  given 
for  rest ;  then  dogs, 
horses,  and  riders  are  ready  for  another  run,  and 
perhaps  two  miles  of  delightful  country  is  gone 
over  before  another  hare  is  seen.  This  time  he  runs 
for  the  mountains,  and,  after  carrying  the  hunt  a 
mile  or  more  up  the  slope,  dashes  into  a  canyon,  and 


54 

is  away,  while  the  disappointed  dogs  and  riders 
join  the  coaches  and  carriages  at  the  hunt  break- 
fast, spread  on  the  slope  among  the  wild  flowers ; 
and  here,  looking  down  on  the  lovely  valley  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean  thirty  miles  away,  the  day's  sport 
ends. 

Such  is  real  "  hare  and  hounds "  in  southern 
California  —  an  inspiring  sport,  as  the  natural  in- 
stincts of  the  greyhounds  are  given  full  play,  and 
the  hare  has  every  advantage,  and  can  only  be 
caught  if  faithfully  followed  by  riding  at  a  pace 
which,  for  speed  and  excitement,  is  rarely  equaled. 
In  certain  regions  of  California  the  hare  exists 
in  myriads,  and  the  ranchers  keep  the  greyhounds 
to  run  them  off;  so  it  is  natural  that  Californians 
should  believe  that  they  have  some  of  the  fastest 
dogs  in  the  world.  How  fast  can  they  run  ?  A 
good  greyhound  has  been  known  to  run  four  miles 
in  twelve  minutes.  Silk  has  caught  a  hare  within 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  start ;  and  as  for 
Mouse,  now  fat  and  heavy,  I  have  run  the  fastest 
horse  I  could  find  against  her,  and  she  was  always 
just  ahead,  looking  back  as  if  to  say,  "  Why  don't 
you  come  ?  " 

Coursing  is  by  no  means  a  new  sport.  Not 
only  is  it  an  old  English  custom,  but  even  in  the  an- 
cient carvings  of  Thebes  we  find  the  greyhound. 


55 

Among  the  ancients,  chasing  the  hare  with  these 
dogs  was  considered  a  noble  sport ;  for  the  grey- 
hound has  an  aristocratic  mien,  and  is  the  type  of 
refinement  and  culture  among  dogs.  True  cours- 
ing differs  materially  from  the  methods  of  the  hunt 
described,  and  often  degenerates  into  a  sport  car- 
ried on  simply  for  gain.  It  was  first  organized  as 
a  sport  by  Thomas,  Duke  of  Norfolk,  in  the  time 
of  Elizabeth,  and  the  old  rules  are  to  some  extent 
followed  in  England  to-day.  In  these,  the  various 
efforts  of  the  dogs  in  turning  the  hare  count,  and 
numbers  of  dogs  contest,  one  with  another,  to  a 
finish.  In  America,  hunting  clubs  rarely  run  the 
dogs  in  inclosures,  as  it  is  unsportsmanlike  not  to 
give  the  hare  every  advantage  in  an  open  country. 
The  hare  runs  as  fast  as  the  dogs ;  but  as  he 
lacks  their  endurance,  he  takes  them  up  slopes  and 
over  rough  country,  displaying  great  cunning. 
One  old  hare,  which  I  chased  a  number  of  times, 
invariably  ran  in  a  wide  circle,  finally  leading  the 
dogs  among  the  rocks,  and  escaping  in  a  thick 
grove.  This  little  animal  was  indebted  to  me  for 
much  exercise,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  enjoyed  the 
running.  The  hare,  being  smaller  and  lighter,  can 
turn  more  quickly,  and  the  best  dog  is  the  one  that 
can  most  adroitly  meet  these  quick  changes  of 
direction.  The  pack  is  rushing  along  when  the 


56 

hare  suddenly  turns  at  a  right  angle  ;  poor  dogs 
overrun  and  take  a  wide  turn,  and  before  they  can 
recover,  the  hare  is  far  away,  while  a  good  dog  will 
lose  but  little.  Once  my  dog  had  almost  caught  a 
hare,  when  the  cunning  animal  darted  to  a  tree  and 
began  to  run  around  it  in  a  circle,  while  I  stopped 
and  looked  on.  Mouse  could  not  make  the  turns 
so  quickly,  and  apparently  soon  became  dizzy,  for, 
as  the  hare  ran  off,  she  came  to  me,  very  much  em- 
barrassed at  my  laughter.  Another  time  I  saw  a 
jack  turn  suddenly,  dodge  Mouse's  snap  at  him, 
and  dart  between  her  legs  and  away. 

The  famous  dog  Master  M'Grath  was  for  many 
years  the  fastest  dog  in  the  world ;  but  in  making 
comparisons,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
English  hare  is  not  so  swift  a  runner  as  our  Western 
jack  rabbit,  or  hare. 

The  greyhound,  running  by  sight  alone,  shows 
remarkable  intelligence  in  following  the  game, 
leaping  into  the  air,  as  we  have  seen,  looking 
sharply  about,  and  using  its  intelligence  in  a  mar- 
velous way.  When  a  hare  is  caught,  he  is  killed 
instantly  and  tossed  into  the  air,  the  other  dogs 
recognizing  the  winner's  rights,  and  rarely  making 
an  attempt  to  touch  the  game  after  the  death. 

Besides  being  shapely  and  beautiful,  the  grey- 
hound has  both  courage  and  affection.  It  will  run 


57 

down  a  deer  or  wolf  as  quickly  as  a  hare,  and  is 
ferocious  in  its  anger  with  a  large  foe.  My  dogs 
are  remarkably  affectionate  and  intelligent,  ex- 
tremely sensitive  to  kindness  or  rebuke.  The  mo- 
ment the  house  is  open  in  the  morning,  Mouse, 
if  not  forbidden,  rushes  upstairs,  pushes  open  my 
door,  and  greets  me  as  if  we  had  been  separated 
for  months.  Then  she  will  dart  into  my  dressing- 
room,  and  reappear  with  a  shoe,  or  a  legging,  if  she 
can  find  it,  and  present  it  to  me,  wagging  her  tail, 
and  saying  plainly  :  "  Come,  it's  time  to  be  up ; 
a  fine  day  for  a  run  !  " 

No  charge  of  cruelty  can  be  brought  against 
coursing  in  the  open  country,  where  the  animal  is 
faithfully  followed.  In  shooting  rabbits  and  hares 
they  will  often  escape  badly  wounded  ;  but  death  by 
the  hounds  is  instantaneous,  and  the  farmer  is  re- 
lieved of  a  relentless  pest. 


MINGO'S  FIFTH    HAND. 

MY  acquaintance  with  Mingo  was  purely  acci- 
dental. I  was  standing,  one  day,  by  the  house  of 
a  large  Newfoundland  dog  that  was  evidently 
much  taken  up  by  a  number  of  lusty  puppies, 
when  I  noticed  a  slender,  snakelike  object  gradu- 
ally slip  out  of  a  neighboring  doghouse,  and  in- 
sert its  tip  into  the  door  of  the  first  doghouse. 
The  shaggy  mother  within  blinked  quite  peace- 
fully, and  one  of  the  puppies  galloped  clumsily 
toward  the  intruder,  and  immediately  the  object 
coiled  around  the  leg  of  the  puppy  in  a  gentle, 
friendly  manner,  and  began  to  pull  him  toward 
the  door.  The  little  dog  protested,  after  the  man- 
ner of  his  kind ;  but  the  visitor  was  persistent,  and 
slowly  the  puppy  was  dragged  out  of  his  own 
house,  across  the  foot  of  space  between,  and,  after 
some  little  scuffling,  disappeared  in  the  other 
house.  A  moment  later  a  kitten  stopped  before 
the  doorway  of  the  second  doghouse,  and  out  came 
the  long,  insinuating  object  again,  and  before  the 
kitten  could  object,  even  had  she  been  so  disposed, 
one  of  her  hind  legs  was  encircled,  and  she,  like 
the  puppy,  moved  toward  the  doorway,  dragged 
along  tail  first. 


59 

Ordinarily  a  cat  would  have  been  thrown  into 
great  excitement  by  such  treatment,  but  not  this 
one.  She  uttered  a  single  plaintive  "meow!"  which, 
understanding  something  of  the  cat  language,  I 
considered  more  a  sound  of  passive  acquiescence 
than  anything  else.  My  eyes,  soon  again  revert- 
ing to  the  opening,  encountered  a  pair  of  great 
brown  ones,  pathetic  and  mournful  to  a  degree, 
peering  from  beneath  shaggy  gray  eyebrows. 

For  a  moment  the  eyes  looked  at  me ;  then,  see- 
ing that  I  was  friendly,  the  head  to  which  they 
belonged  came  out,  and  there  rose  before  me  the 
owner  of  the  mysterious  serpentine  object  —  a 
monkey  so  tall  and  slender,  so  completely  given 
over  to  arms  and  tail,  that  I  could  only  compare 
it  to  a  gigantic  spider  coming  out  of  its  den.  It 
stood  up,  reaching  one  long,  attenuated  arm  almost 
to  my  shoulder,  and  then  I  perceived  that  it  held 
under  the  other  the  puppy,  whose  blue  eyes  blinked 
at  me  in  amazement.  Another  step,  and  out  came 
the  kitten,  the  monkey's  marvelous  tail,  which  was 
like  a  fifth  hand,  still  clasped  firmly  about  her  leg. 
Upon  leaving  his  house,  Mingo  assumed  a  per- 
fectly upright  position,  holding  one  hand  over  his 
head ;  and  then,  occasionally  dropping  to  all  fours, 
he  crossed  the  little  grassplot,  and  easily  swung 
himself  into  a  tree.  His  long  tail  stretched  out  to 


6o 


its  full  length,  and  by  it  he  actually  lifted  the  kit- 
ten until,  when  four  or  more  feet  from  the  ground, 

she  scrambled 
at    the     limb 
andaidedher- 
selfup.    Min- 
go  finally  set- 
k         tied     himself 
comfortably 
on  a  bough  with 
the  puppy,   which 
he  held  closely  in  his  arms.    This, 
I  found,  was  an  almost  daily  oc- 
currence.    Sometimes  the  heavy 
puppy  would  be  lifted  off  the  ground  by  the  tail- 
like  hand,  and  then  dropped ;   but  as  a  rule  he  was 
carefully  tended. 

Mingo  belonged  to  a  tribe  known  as  Coaita, 
and  came  from  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  so  famous 
for  its  tree-top  monkeys,  and  also  for  being  the 
only  country  in  which  the  ring-tailed  monkey  is 
found.  Mingo's  fifth  hand,  or  tail,  was  so  deft  and 
cunning  in  all  its  movements  that  one  wondered 
whether  somewhere  there  was  not  an  eye  or  two 
concealed  in  the  coarse  hairs  to  enable  it  to  find 
its  way  about.  It  was  always  at  the  right  place  at 
the  right  time.  It  was  tipped  with  what  appeared 


6i 

to  be  a  finger,  but  was  far  more  sensitive  than  any 
finger. 

When  Mingo  climbed  a  tree,  the  fifth  hand  was 
invariably  caught  on  a  higher  limb,  so  that  when 
he  lost  his  hold,  as  he  sometimes  did,  with  his 
hands  and  feet,  he  swung  in  safety  by  the  tail. 
Very  often,  as  he  sat  with  his  hands  over  his  head, 
his  face  bowed,  and  his  mournful  eyes  peering  out 
with  a  far-away  expression,  the  tail  that  had  been 
wound  about  the  limb  would  suddenly  drop  to  the 
ground,  and  some  passing  animal  would  be  seized 
and  lifted  aloft  before  it  could  realize  what  was  hap- 
pening. The  tail  was  frequently  employed  to  in- 
spect crevices  in  its  owner's  house,  and  it  could 
pick  up  small  objects  with  the  greatest  ease. 
When  approached,  Mingo  would  often  extend  his 
tail  and  grasp  one's  finger  with  it  in  a  most  con- 
fiding manner. 

INSECT   HYPNOTIZERS. 

A  HUGE  wasp  with  a  metallic-blue  body  was  fly- 
ing about,  and  the  observers,  with  whom  it  was  a 
familiar  object,  had  said  that  it  was  a  thorough 
hypnotizer ;  too  thorough,  indeed,  as  its  victims, 
while  they  did  not  die  at  once,  rarely  recovered 
the  full  possession  of  their  faculties.  The  insect 


62 

hypnotist  was  a  giant  among  its  kind  —  a  powerful, 
showy  creature  that  flew  around  in  circles,  now 
near  the  ground,  then  rising  as  though  to  take  an 
observation,  then  settling  down  and  walking  about 
rapidly,  its  antennae  and  wings  vibrating  with  sup- 
pressed energy  and  emotion. 

The  wasp  was  evidently  hunting  for  something, 
and  suddenly  pounced:  upon  a  brown  object  among 
the  rocks.  Investigation  showed  it  to  be  a  large 
and  ugly  spider,  that  faced  the  wasp,  holding  up  its 
fore  legs  in  a  menacing  attitude  of  defense.  The 
wasp  remained  motionless  for  a  moment,  like  a  cat 
about  to  spring,  only  the  vibrating  antennae  telling 
of  life;  then  it  suddenly  rose,  and  with  a  quick  circle 
dashed  at  the  spider  from  behind.  The  latter  was 
too  quick  for  it,  whirling  as  though  on  a  pivot,  pre- 
senting its  ugly  fangs  to  the  invader,  that  now  stood 
upon  a  stone,  apparently  undecided.  The  spider, 
while  a  huge,  hairy  fellow  with  tremendous  man- 
dibles, was  evidently  cornered,  recognizing  an 
enemy  not  to  be  disregarded,  and  crouched  low, 
keeping  its  head  ever  in  the  direction  of  its  watch- 
ful foe.  Suddenly  the  wasp  darted  away,  making 
a  circle  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet  —  evidently  a  feint, 
as  it  quickly  turned,  and,  like  an  arrow,  shot  back 
behind  the  spider,  dropping  down  upon  it  like  a  tiger. 
The  tarantula  was  taken  unawares,  but  turned  and 


grappled  its  enemy  with  extraordinary  fierceness. 
The  two  rolled  over  and  over  among  the  peb- 
bles ;  then  the  legs  of  the  spider  relaxed,  its 
struggles  ceased,  and  the  wasp, 
seizing  it  firmly,  opened  its 
wings  and .  attempted  to 
fly  away.  The  burden 
proved  too  heavy,  and 
was  dropped;  yet  again 
and  again  the  wasp 
dashed  at  the  spider  ^ 
and  endeavored  to  lift  it. 

I  now  interfered,  and  gen- 
tly drove  away  the  excited  wasp, 
which  alighted  upon  a  stone  near  by,  and  watched 
the  subsequent  proceedings  apparently  with  interest. 
The  spider  was  completely  hypnotized,  if  I  may  use 
the  term  to  imply  paralysis  ;  while  a  few  seconds 
before  it  was  a  picture  of  vigor,  it  was  now,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  dead.  Having  covered  the 
insect  with  a  leaf,  I  again  retired,  whereupon  the 
wasp  at  once  advanced,  and,  apparently  puzzled, 
began  a  search  for  its  victim.  After  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  every  nook  and  cranny,  the  wasp 
found  the  spider,  and  again  attempted  to  drag  it 
away.  Failing  in  this,  the  wasp  stopped,  made  an 
excavation,  buried  its  prey,  and  then  flew  away. 


64 

The  spider  was  taken  from  its  grave  and  an  at- 
tempt made  to  restore  it  to  life ;  its  legs  were 
manipulated,  and  cold  water  was  thrown  upon  it ; 
but  the  only  response  was  a  faint  movement  of  the 
great  hairy  legs. 

The  wasp  did  not,  it  is  true,  employ  the  well- 
known  and  accepted  methods  of  the  hypnotist. 
It  was  not  a  mere  waving  of  antennae ;  but  as  the 
wasp  pounced  upon  the  terrified  spider  it  pierced  it 
with  its  long,  slender  sting,  the  subtle  poison  at 
once  paralyzing  it,  producing  a  condition  in  which 
the  victim  would  live  a  long  time  in  what  is  known 
as  a  state  of  coma. 

The  insects  which  have  this  power  of  benumbing 
others  are  many,  but  the  exact  process  by  which 
they  produce  the  singular  condition  is  unknown. 
In  some  instances  the  object  is  to  obtain  food,  but 
in  the  majority  the  insect  desires  to  secure  food 
for  its  future  young ;  having  paralyzed  the  body 
of  its  victim,  the  attacking  insect  introduces  its 
eggs,  which  remain  until  the  young  appear,  to  de- 
vour the  host. 

The  intuition  of  some  of  these  insects  is  marvel- 
ous, as  they  are  able  in  some  mysterious  manner  to 
discover  the  exact  location  of  a  grub  which  is  devel- 
oping, snugly  stowed  away  in  the  fruit  or  branch 
of  a  tree.  There  is  no  exterior  evidence  of  the 


65 

presence  of  the  concealed  victim,  but  the  insect 
discovers  it  readily,  and  with  unerring  aim  sends  its 
ovipositor  down  through  the  bark,  penetrates  the 
animal,  and  deposits  in  it  one  or  more  eggs.  The 
unfortunate  grub  is  perhaps  benumbed  and  its  facul- 
ties arrested,  not  being  injured  in  any  way,  so  that 
it  is  slowly  consumed  by  the  young  as  they  issue 
from  the  eggs. 

Certain  ants  may  be  said  to  hypnotize  seeds. 
Thus  seeds  planted  in  the  ground  either  decay 
from  too  much  moisture,  or  sprout ;  yet  certain 
ants,  known  as  harvesters,  are  able  so  to  treat  cer- 
tain seeds  that  their  power  of  sprouting  is  arrested. 
They  have  received  their  name  from  the  fact  that 
they  store  away  seeds  in  cells  beneath  the  ground 
for  future  use.  These  seeds  lie  in  damp  chambers 
favorable  to  their  growth  and  development,  but 
the  intelligent  creatures  which  have  placed  them 
there  have  literally  hypnotized  them  —  in  other 
words,  have  arrested  all  their  functions  of  develop- 
ment, so  that  they  lie  dormant  for  an  indefinite 
length  of  time,  to  be  used  as  the  ants  desire. 

It  might  seem  that  there  is  margin  for  mistake 
in  this  ;  but  careful  experiments  have  been  made 
which  show  that  if  the  ants  are  removed  from  such 
a  nest,  or  prevented  from  reaching  the  seeds,  the 
latter  soon  sprout,  proving  beyond  question  that 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  — 5 


66 

the  intelligent  creatures  have  some  method  of  hold- 
ing the  seeds  in  check. 

THE    GAMES   OF   ANIMALS. 

ONE  warm,  sultry  afternoon,  as  I  lay 
upon  a  great    ledge    of   rock    that 
boldly  fronted  the  sea  on  the  Maine 
coast,    watching    the    white    sails 
creeping    by,    I   heard    a    curious 
sound    in    my    immediate    vi- 
cinity, and  soon  became  the 
silent    witness    of    what    is 
certainly   one   of  the   most 

Locusts  Playing  Tag. 

interesting  phases  of  ani- 
mal life,  namely,  their  games,  about  which  but  little 
has  been  written,  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  case, 
very  little  is  known.  To  become  familiar  with  the 
sports  and  methods  of  amusement  of  animals,  we 
must  come  upon  them  accidentally  or  by  stealth. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  upon  the  afternoon  in  ques- 
tion, from  the  liberties  they  took  with  me,  my 
strange  playfellows  thought  me  fast  asleep,  or  fan- 
cied that  I  was  an  old  figurehead  washed  ashore. 

A  sharp  clicking,  as  if  several  telegraph  opera- 
tors were  holding  a  conversation,  first  attracted  my 
attention.  Now  a  series  of  taps  would  come  from 


67 

about  my  head,  soon  answered  by  others  at  my 
feet.  Finally  the  tappers  seemed  to  meet,  and 
their  clicks  became  so  loud  and  confusing  that  I 
turned  my  eyes,  and  saw  four  or  five  locusts,  stand- 
ing with  heads  together,  evidently  holding  a  deep 
consultation.  They  were  the  great  rusty-dusty 
fellows  that  always  frequent  the  rocks  and  there 
openly  defy  the  birds,  relying  for  safety  upon  their 
resemblance  in  color  to  their  surroundings. 

For  over  a  minute  the  clicking,  or  talking,  was 
kept  up ;  then  the  party  was  reenforced  by  several 
others,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  evidently  chose 
partners,  and  commenced  a  veritable  game  of  tag. 
Very  honorable,  too,  were  they  about  it,  separating 
a  foot  or  more  before  the  chase  actually  began  ; 
and  then  their  movements  showed  them  adepts  in 
the  art  of  strategy. 

Every  pebble,  stone,  or  leaf  was  used  to  cover 
their  advance,  and  every  possible  attempt  made  to 
deceive,  until  finally,  when  the  follower  was  near 
enough,  it  darted  at  its  playfellow  with  a  rush, 
seemed  to  touch  it  quickly,  and  then,  with  a  loud, 
victorious  chatter,  took  to  its  wings  and  flew  sev- 
eral rods  away,  only  to  return  stealthily  soon 
afterward. 

Finally  the  game  was  changed.  Two  locusts 
placed  themselves  opposite  each  other;  then  one 


68 

would  leap  over  the  other,  and  before  it  had  landed, 
the  second  was  also  in  the  air,  or  passing  over  it ; 
then  both  would  jump  simultaneously,  and  pass 
each  other  with  a  loud  click,  exactly  as  do  the  men 
in  the  circus. 

Next  they  began  running  around  in  a  circle, 
forming  in  regular  rows  and  shapes,  marching  and 
countermarching.  Finally,  a  very  solemn  old  fel- 
low clambered  up  on  my  shoe  and  began  a  violent 
clicking,  upon  which  the  evolutions  ceased, — I  sup- 
pose, to  listen  to  his  harangue, — when  a  friend  in- 
nocently broke  in  upon  the  scene  and  put  the  play- 
mates to  flight.  It  may  be  doubted  by  some  if 
these  movements  were  games,  as  we  understand 
them ;  but  as  the  rocks  were  bare,  and  there  was 
no  food  to  search  for,  there  is  but  one  construction 
to  put  upon  their  actions  —  that  they  were  under- 
taken for  recreation,  in  which  animals  indulge,  from 
man  to  the  smallest  creature. 

Fishes  have  a  decided  sense  of  humor,  judging 
from  certain  exhibitions  that  have  been  observed ; 
the  young,  especially,  have  numerous  games  or 
methods  of  amusement ;  and  their  mischievous  na- 
tures can  best  be  appreciated  when  a  large  school 
is  under  observation.  Through  the  flooring  of  a 
wharf,  in  tropical  waters,  .1  have  often  watched  the 
varied  throngs  unsuspected  and  unseen.  Such 


69 

games  and  sports  as  they  indulge  in  !  Now  twenty 
or  more  join  in  chase  of  a  single  fish,  darting  in 
and  out  among  the  gleaming  mass ;  and  when  the 
fugitive  is  caught,  he  is  playfully  taken  by  fins  and 
tail,  and  held  or  dragged  about.  Now  a  floating 
straw  is  discovered  on  the  surface,  and  over  it  with 
a  daring  leap  the  leader  goes,  followed  by  the  rest, 
until  the  leapers  in  a  continuous  glistening  stream 
dart  into  the  air. 

While  we  watch,  a  mischievous  fish  seizes  the 
straw,  and,  drawing  it  beneath  the  surface,  rushes 
away,  pursued  by  a  score  or  more,  who  grasp  it, 
and  a  veritable  tug  of  war  is  at  its  height,  when 
like  a  flash  the  argus-eyed  throng  has  disappeared. 
A  grim  barracuda,  with  a  single  struggling  victim 
in  his  fierce  jaws,  explains  the  sudden  flight. 

The  game  of  leaping  over  various  objects  I  have 
noticed  in  many  fishes,  especially  in  the  young  gar- 
fish ;  and  in  an  aquarium  built  out  into  the  water  I 
have  frequently  seen  them  leaping  over  a  hawk- 
bill  turtle  that  floated  on  the  surface.  This  game 
at  the  expense  of  the  turtle  was  kept  up  for  some 
time,  until  a  garfish  in  leaping  landed  fairly  on  the 
sleeper's  back,  when  the  astonished  and  indignant 
turtle  took  a  long  breath,  and  dashed  away,  scatter- 
ing the  assembled  fishes  far  and  wide. 

Even  the  larger  marine  animals  are  known  to 


join  in  games  and  pastimes.  The  breaching  of 
large  whales  is  done  at  times  in  sport,  and  the 
movements  of  a  school  of  these  monsters  are  often 
so  curious  that  the  assumption  is  that  some  sin- 
gular whale  game  is  being  enacted.  Seals  have 
been  seen  sliding  up  and  down  cakes  of  ice,  and 
rolling  over  one  another,  taking  headers — in  fact, 
having  all  the  enjoyment  of  a  party  of  boys  engaged 
in  a  similar  amusement. 

In  its  variety  of  games  the  American  otter  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  animal.  In  former  times  the  otter 
was  common  in  the  Eastern  and  Northeastern 
States  ;  but  the  advance  of  civilization  has  gradually 
driven  it  to  the  North  arid  West,  where  it  now  ranks 
in  value  with  the  beaver.  Otters  are  extremely  shy 
and  cautious  animals.  They  build  their  homes  on 
the  banks  of  streams,  like  the  curious  duckbill  of 
New  Zealand,  with  one  opening  leading  into  the 
water,  and  another  small  one  on  land  for  air  and 
ventilation ;  but  when  alone  or  unsuspicious  of 
danger,  the  otter  often  indulges  in  games  and 
sports  by  the  hour  at  a  time.  Of  these  curious 
gambols,  their  game  of  sliding  is  a  fair  illustration. 

In  the  winter  a  snow  bank  is  selected  near  a 
frozen  stream,  and  gradually  patted  down  and  ren- 
dered slippery.  On  this  hill  the  otters  congregate, 
and  slide  or  roll  down,  singly  or  in  pairs.  In  sum- 


Otters' 

Toboggan 

Slide. 


mer  the  preparation  of  the  slide  involves  greater 
labor.  A  hill  leading  into  the  water  is  again  se- 
lected, the  grass  and  reeds  are  torn  up  and  carried 
to  one  side,  and  the  decliv- 
ity is  gradually  formed  into 
a  muddy  slide.  Then  the 
sport  begins.  Old  and  young 
participate  in  it,  and  roll 
into  the  water  with  great 
splashes — some  on  their 
backs,  with  feet  in  the 
air,  others  in  a 'more 
natural  position,  some 
sidewise,  and  all  scrambling  up  to  try  again,  in  every 
way  showing  their  hearty  appreciation  of  the  time- 
honored  game  of  sliding  downhill.  Audubon  was 
the  first  to  discover  them  at  their  games,  and  while 
he  was  concealed  in  the  bushes  he  observed  the 
construction  of  twenty-two  distinct  slides. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  performances  among 
animals  was  recently  observed  among  humming 
birds  by  a  naturalist  in  Peru.  The  bird  was  first 
seen  about  a  beautiful  red  flower  in  the  basin  of  the 
Utcubamba  River. 

By  concealing  himself  in  the  grass,  the  naturalist 
witnessed  some  of  their  games  and  sports.  In  ap- 
pearance the  bird  is  a  veritable  bit  of  sunlight.  Its 


72 

crest  is  of  rich  sapphire  blue,  changing  in  various 
lights  to  vivid  violet,  while  the  breast  is  golden 
green,  and  the  lower  portions  white;  and  darting 
about,  the  little  creature  gleams  and  glistens  like  a 
rare  gem.  It  is  not  its  colors,  however,  that  are 
the  most  striking,  but  the  arrangement  of  its 
plumes  and  feathers. 

Our  watcher  found  that  the  young  birds  had 
certain  places  in  the  air  as  playgrounds,  where  they 
met  and  performed  strange  feats,  during  which  they 
presented  a  most  remarkable  appearance.  The 
long  tail  feathers  were  now  stretched  out  on  each 
side  from  the  body,  and  as  the  birds  stood  vertically 
in  the  air,  they  appeared  to  be  resting  on  a  roost. 
The  game  was  played  by  either  two  or  eight,  the 
party  forming  in  sides  facing  each  other,  standing 
perfectly  erect  in  the  air  by  the  rapid  vibration  of 
their  wings,  the  outstretched  tail  plumes  also  vi- 
brating, and  producing  a  curious  sound,  accompanied 
by  a  sharp  clicking  of  their  bills. 

The  only  change  in  this  dance  was  rising  and 
falling,  and  advancing  to  and  fro,  but  never  chan- 
ging the  vertical  position.  At  another  time  •  the 
observer  saw  two  of  them  hovering  in  the  same 
way  on  each  side  of  a  limb,  apparently  suspended; 
but  like  a  flash  they  would  change  places,  then  dart 
back  again,  presenting  an  astonishing  sight,  espe- 


73 

cially  in  the  case  of  a  number,  appearing  like  ani- 
mated crosses  suspended  in  the  air,  rising  and 
falling,  and  moving  to  and  fro,  as  though  on  some 
gentle  breeze. 

From  the  constant  recurrence  of  these  perform- 
ances in  the  same  locality  in  the  air,  the  observer 
thought  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  birds 
were  engaged  in  some  game  or  sport,  and  that  this 
was  their  playground. 

HOW   THE    WHALE    LOOKED    PLEASANT. 

WHETHER  a  certain  whale  that  breakfasted,  dined, 
and  supped  every  day  in  the  Santa  Catalina  chan- 
nel, California,  went  out  one  morning  with  the  de- 
termination of  being  photographed,  I  really  cannot 
say;  but  the  picture  was  certainly  taken,  and  a 
careful  copy  of  it  made. 

Living  in  the  neighborhood,  the  whale  was  prob- 
ably familiar  with  the  steamer  that  plowed  daily 
through  its  dining  room;  and  if  it  was  at  all  an 
observing  whale,  it  must  have  noticed,  on  the  morn- 
ing m  question,  an  unusual  commotion  on  the  deck 
of  the  steamer,  and  this  is  what  it  saw.  The  pas- 
sengers were  crowding  about  the  rail,  and  on  the 
upper  deck  stood  a  man  and  a  little  girl,  the  former 
holding  a  square  black  box,  into  which  he  looked 


OTTV 


74 

earnestly.  And  if  the  whale  had  come  a  little  nearer, 
this  is  what  it  might  have  heard: 

"Will  he  look  pleasant?"  asked  the  little  girl  of 
her  companion. 

"I  hope  so,"  he  replied,  glancing  rapidly  from 
the  camera  to  the  whale,  that  was  then  swimming 
a  few  hundred  feet  away. 

The  passengers  had  first  observed  it  a  mile  or 
more  distant,  when  the  little  girl  said  it  was  "dan- 
cing on  its  tail."  It  had,  really,  leaped  out  of  the 
water,  and  for  a  few  seconds  exposed  almost  its 
entire  form,  —  a  most  astonishing  spectacle,  —  and 
then  had  fallen  back  into  the  sea  with  a  thundering 
crash.  Soon  it  came  to  the  surface  again,  and, 
shooting  a  cloud  of  vapor  into  the  air,  slowly  swam 
away,  at  intervals  disappearing  and  reappearing, 
until  finally  it  came  alongside  the  steamer,  swimming 
along  within  a  short  distance.  It  was  then  that  the 
fortunate  possessor  of  the  camera  secured  a  good 
position  near  the  rail,  and  waited,  as  his  little  com- 
panion had  said,  for  the  whale  to  "look  pleasant" 
Looking  pleasant,  in  this  instance,  meant  for  the 
whale  to  show  a  large  portion  of  its  body  above 
the  water.  It  was  now  swimming  just  below  the 
surface,  its  huge  black  form,  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in 
length,  distinctly  visible,  propelled  by  the  undulat- 
ing movement  of  the  tail.  Suddenly  it  rose,  show- 


75 

ing  just  the  portion  around  the  blowholes,  and  with 
a  loud  puff  the  hot  breath  burst  into  the  air,  was 
condensed,  and  in  a  little  cloud  drifted  away. 

" Didn't  he  look  pleasant?"  asked  the  little  girl, 
earnestly. 

"Not  quite  pleasant  enough,"  said  the  photog- 
rapher, as  he  peered  into  the  tiny  window  of  the 
camera,  that  reflected  the  sea  in  brilliant  tints.  "I 
could  catch  the  spout,  but  I  want  to  wait  until  he 
throws  his  entire  head  out  of  the  water  and  looks 
really  pleasant  before  I  touch  the  button." 

It  was  an  exciting  moment,  as  never,  so  far  as 
known,  had  a  living  whale,  in  the  open  ocean,  posed 
before  a  camera,  or  a  photographer  seen  so  huge  an 
animal  obligingly  swim  along,  allowing  its  picture 
to  be  taken. 

"It's  a  tame  whale,  isn't  it?"  said  the  little  girl, 
as  the  whale  gradually  came  nearer. 

"He  certainly  does  not  seem  very  timid,"  replied 
her  companion;  and  as  he  spoke,  puff!  came  the 
spouting,  like  the  escape  of  steam,  the  vapor  actually 
drifting  aboard  the  steamer  into  the  faces  of  the 
passengers. 

The  whale  was  now  so  near  that  the  barnacles 
upon  its  back  could  be  seen,  and  one  man  was  sure 
that  he  saw  its  eye.  Suddenly  it  sank,  and  all  that 
could  be  seen  in  the  little  window  was  the  dancing 


76 


waves  and  the  white  sails  of  myriads  of  velellas 
that  covered  the  surface,  scudding  along  before  the 
fresh  trade  wind.  Then,  without  warning,  the  crea- 


"The  creature  suddenly  rose  again." 

ture  as  suddenly  rose  again,  showing  a  large  area 
of  its  back,  sending  at  the  same  time  a  cloud  of 
misty  vapor  into  the  air  as  its  top,  or  dorsal,  fin  ap- 
peared. The  photographer  saw  it  in  the  little  win- 
dow, and  evidently  thinking  that  the  whale  looked 
as  pleasant  as  it,  in  all  probability,  would,  touched 
the  button,  and  took  the  first  photograph  of  a  living 
whale  in  the  open  ocean — the  one  shown  above. 


77 

The  Santa  Catalina  channel  is  famous  for  its 
whales,  and  they  are  frequently  seen  from  the 
steamer  that  plies  between  the  mainland  and  the 
island  of  Santa  Catalina.  While  I  write,  there  lies 
on  the  beach  a  huge  specimen  that  was  killed  by  a 
swordfish. 

Some  terrible  contests  have  been  observed  be- 
tween the  great  whales  and  these  ocean  swordsmen. 
Such  a  contest  occurred  opposite  the  little  har- 
bor of  Avalon,  Santa  Catalina,  and  was  watched  by 
a  small  boatload  of  spectators  who  drifted  near.  A 
swordfish  and  a  killer  —  or  small-toothed  whale  — 
attacked  the  larger  whale  from  below,  and  in  its 
rage  the  latter  appeared  almost  to  stand  upon  its 
head,  striking  the  water  fearful  blows  from  side  to 
side  with  its  tail.  The  battle  was  continued  for 
several  minutes,  the  whale  being  nearly  helpless 
before  its  agile  enemies. 

On  one  occasion  a  whale  rose  so  high  above  the 
water  in  a  sudden,  mighty  leap,  and  so  near  my 
boat,  that  a  photograph  could  have  been  taken. 
As  the  huge  mass  loomed  up  I  thought  it  was  a 
rock,  and  turned  to  the  boatman,  to  ask  an  expla- 
nation; but  as  it  fell  with  a  crash,  I  saw  that  it  was 
a  whale  that  had  thrown  itself  almost  entirely  out 
of  the  water.  According  to  Captain  Basil  Hall,  a 
whale  has  been  known  to  leap  over  a  boat. 


TIDDLYWINKS. 


OT  far  from  the  old  Mis- 
sion of  San  Gabriel, — 
so  near,  in  fact,  that  the 
sweet  notes  of  the  an- 
gelus    could   be    heard,— 
stood  an  olive   tree  which 
tradition     said     had     been 
planted  by  the  padres  un- 
der Father  Junipero,  nearly 
a  century  before.     Now  the 
old     tree,     still     beautiful,     its 
leaves  green  and  silvery,  formed 
ryy,  . ,-     a  portion  of  a  modern  southern   Cali- 
fornia garden,  and,  being  partly  concealed 
by  a  clump  of  bananas  and  the  orange  grove, 
was  a  favorite  resort  for  birds  of  many  kinds  that 
made  the  land  of  continual  summer  their  home. 

Among  them  were  two  hummingbirds  —  beau- 
tiful feathered  bits  of  animation — that  had  selected 
the  old  tree  as  a  permanent  home,  and  were  now 
engaged  in  collecting  material  for  the  nest.  Long 
journeys  were  made,  and  material  of  every  available 
kind,  such  as  horsehair,  bits  of  wool,  shreds  of  cot- 
ton, and  the  delicate  down  of  the  thistle,  was  used 


79 

in  the  construction  of  the  nest,  that  gradually  as- 
sumed an  oblong  shape.  The  interior  was  lined 
with  soft,  fluffy  feathers  and  thistledown ;  but  it 
was  the  exterior  that  displayed  the  skill  of  the  little 
builders.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  crotch  of  the 
tree,  so  that  from  below  it  was  almost  invisible. 
The  birds  evidently  intended  it  to  look  like  a  part 
of  the  tree ;  so  they  collected  minute  bits  of  moss 
from  various  trees,  and  attached  them  to  the  out- 
side of  the  nest  until  it  was  entirely  covered,  and 
looked  sufficiently  like  the  bark  of  the  tree  to 
deceive  any  mischievous  enemy. 

A  little  later  the  smallest  of  eggs  might  have 
been  seen  in  the  nest,  and  finally  the  little  ones 
appeared  —  curious-looking  creatures,  that  opened 
enormous  mouths  at  the  slightest  noise,  and  kept 
the  parents  busy  providing  food. 

The  humming  bird  family  progressed  finely  until 
one  day  when  one  of  the  little  birds,  in  the  absence 
of  its  parents,  determined  to  look  over  the  edge  of 
the  nest  and  see  something  of  the  outside  world. 
Scrambling  up,  it  perched  on  the  edge ;  then,  in 
astonishment,  perhaps,  at  the  wonders  it  beheld,  it 
lost  its  balance  and  fell,  vainly  fluttering,  to  the 
ground.  It  was  nearly  night,  so  the  little  bird  lay 
there  until  early  the  next  morning,  when  it  was  dis- 
covered by  the  gardener,  lying  almost  in  a  pool  of 


8o 

water.  Placing  it  in  his  handkerchief,  the  man 
carried  it  into  the  house ;  and  here  the  history  of 
Tiddlywinks  begins. 

Tiddlywinks  was  immediately  adopted  by  the 
young  lady  of  the  house,  who  made  him  a  soft  nest 
in  her  button  basket,  and  fed  him  with  sweetened 
water,  which  he  took  readily  from  the  end  of  a 
broom  splint.  Indeed,  from  that  moment  the  little 
bird,  hardly  larger  than  a  thimble,  seemed  to  rec- 
ognize her  as  his  protector,  and  lost  all  fear.  He 
soon  learned  to  fly,  and,  as  he  gained  strength  in 
his  wings,  he  gradually  flitted  from  room  to  room, 
and  from  person  to  person,  without  the  slightest 
fear.  Sometimes  he  would  disappear  among  the 
plants  of  the  beautiful  home  ;  but  when  his  mistress 
would  call,  "  Come,  Tiddly,"  the  little  atom  would 
come  hurrying  through  the  air,  to  alight  on  her 
head  or  shoulder,  though  he  preferred  her  finger. 
He  always  expected  something,  and  begged  in  this 
way  for  a  fly  or  some  sweetened  water,  turning  his 
head  quickly  from  side  to  side,  his  bright  little  eyes 
seeming  to  tell  what  he  wished  to  say.  Taking 
him  on  her  finger,  his  mistress  would  walk  around 
the  room,  holding  him  up  to  the  window,  where  he 
would  catch  all  the  minute  flies  and  insects  on  the 
panes,  darting  at  them  with  the  rapidity  of  light- 
ning. A  small  vial  was  kept  filled  with  sweetened 


8i 


water,  and,  when  called,  Tiddlywinks  would  poise 
in  the  air  as  he  would  at  a  flower  and  drink  while 
his  mistress  held  the  bottle. 

His  domestication  was  perfect.  When  the  family 
went  to  meals,  Tiddlywinks  often  accompanied 
them,  taking*  his  position  on  the  edge  of 
the  sugar  bowl,  and  there  waiting 
patiently,  or  otherwise,  as  the 
case  might  be,  for  his  sugar, 
which  was  sometimes  placed  for 
him  in  a  spoon  across  the  top 
of  the  bowl,  and  of  which  he  par- 
took with  evident  satisfaction. 

At  night  he  flew  to  a  great 
banana  leaf  that  hung  as  a  dec- 
oration across  the  top  of  an  al- 
cove in  the  studio,  roosting  on 
the  coiled  portion  of  the  tip  end. 
He  never  slept  with  his  head 
under  his  wing,  like  other  birds, 
but  simply  collected  himself  into 
as  small  a  space  as  possible.  In 
the  morning  he  displayed  his 
satisfaction  at  seeing  his  mistress  again,  and  in- 
variably bade  her  good  morning  by  twittering  short 
but  musical  notes. 

There  are   few  pets,   especially  birds,  which  do 

STO.  AN.  LIFE — 6 


, 


Tiddlywinks  would  drink 
while  his  mistress  held 
the  bottle." 


82 

not  sometimes  evince  a  desire  for  freedom  ;  yet 
this  atom  was  perfectly  contented  with  his  home, 
and  never  showed  the  least  inclination  to  escape. 
One  day  one  of  the  household  went  out  into  the 
garden,  and  hearing  a  piping  sound,  he  saw  that 
Tiddlywinks  was  resting  upon  his  shoulder.  The 
tiny  creature  had  probably  alighted  there  as  he 
passed  out  of  the  house  ;  but  instead  of  flying  away 
and  taking  his  liberty,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, he  remained  perfectly  quiet  while  the  gen- 
tleman walked  back  into  the  house.  Tiddlywinks 
lived  for  some  time,  and  became  widely  known  for 
his  remarkable  intelligence ;  but,  like  many  pets, 
he  finally  succumbed  to  an  accident. 

Several  cases  are  on  record  of  attempts  to  tame 
humming  birds,  but  when  placed  in  a  cage  they  do 
not  thrive,  and  soon  die.  The  orange  groves  of 
southern  California  abound  in  these  attractive  crea- 
tures, and  several  may  often  be  seen  about  the 
flowering  bushes,  seeking  food  or  chasing  each 
other  in  play.  Once,  when  living  on  the  slopes  of 
the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains,  where  the  humming 
birds  were  very  plentiful,  I  accomplished  the  feat 
of  taking  an  adult  humming  bird  in  my  hand.  I 
first  noticed  it  in  the  garden,  resting  on  a  mustard 
stalk,  and  wishing  to  see  how  near  I  could  ap- 
proach, I  gradually  moved  toward  it,  by  pretending 


83 

to  be  otherwise  engaged,  until  I  was  within  five 
feet  of  it.  The  bird  looked  at  me  calmly,  and  I 
moved  slowly  nearer,  whistling  gently  to  attract  its 
attention,  as  I  began  to  think  something  was  the 
matter  with  it.  It  bent  its  head  upon  one  side, 
eyed  me  sharply,  then  flew  to  another  stalk  a  few 
feet  away,  contemplating  me  as  before.  Again  I 
approached,  taking  care  not  to  alarm  it,  and  this 
time  I  was  almost  within  reaching  distance  before 
it  flew  away. 

The  bird  seemed  to  have  a  growing  confidence 
in  me,  and  I  became  more  and  more  deliberate  in 
my  movements,  until  I  finally  stood  beside  it,  the 
little  creature  gazing  at  me  with  its  head  tipped 
upon  one  side,  as  if  questioning  what  I  was  about. 
I  then  withdrew  and  approached  again,  repeating 
this  several  times  before  I  stretched  out  my  hand  to 
take  it,  at  which  it  flew  to  another  bush.  But  the 
next  time  it  allowed  me  to  grasp  it,  and  I  had 
caught  a  wild  bird  in  my  hand,  without  even  using 
salt. 

In  a  succeeding  year  a  pair  of  humming  birds 
occupied  an  orange  tree  near  my  garden.  The 
nest  was  not  five  feet  from  the  ground,  within  easy 
reach,  but  very  difficult  to  see.  When  I  first 
discovered  it,  and  successfully  photographed  the 
mother  bird  sitting  upon  her  nest,  with  a  back- 


84 

ground  of  golden  oranges,  the  young  birds  had 
appeared  —  marvelous  little  creatures  which  looked 
more  like  some  grotesque  creation  of  the  imagina- 
tion than  birds. 

I  watched  the  fuzzy  atoms  day  by  day,  and  soon 
began  to  share  the  labor  of  the  parent,  in  feeding 
them  with  drops  of  sweetened  water,  which  they 
readily  took.  In  a  short  time  they  began  to  exer- 
cise their  wings,  and  one  morning,  anticipating  their 
flight,  I  severed  the  limb  on  which  the  nest  rested, 
and  removed  the  young  birds  to  my  study.  The 
following  day  they  left  the  nest,  and  I  found  them 
perched  upon  its  sides,  making  short  and  erratic 
flights  into  the  air.  Then  began  the  most  inter- 
esting period  of  their  existence  —  at  least,  to  me. 
The  birds  were  absolutely  without  fear.  They  at 
first  vociferously  demanded  their  sugar  and  water 
many  times  a  day,  but  when  fully  fledged  flew  about 
the  room,  alighting  upon  my  head  or  finger,  exact- 
ing constant  attention.  They  would  come  when 
called,  and  would  find  their  way  downstairs,  fre- 
quently going  to  the  dining  room  and  resting  on 
any  convenient  perch,  or  among  the  flowers  on  the 
table. 

The  perfect  confidence  which  these  little  creatures 
displayed  was  remarkable.  At  night  they  perched 
on  the  edge  of  a  small  basket  in  a  closet,  and  in  the 


85 

early  morning  they  would  fly  to  my  bed,  poise  over 
it  and  fan  my  face  with  their  wonderful  wings,  and 
awaken  me  with  the  loud  buzzing.  Then  would  begin 
a  vociferous  demand  for  breakfast,  and  they  would 
not  be  refused  or  put  aside.  Usually  they  ate  in 
the  air,  as  from  a  flower,  poising  and  licking  the 
sweetened  water  with  the  long,  delicate  tongue. 
To  strangers  the  pets  extended  the  same  friendly 
attentions,  and  more  than  one  visitor  to  the  house 
was  amazed  at  the  beelike  creatures  flying  about  the 
rooms,  and  alighting  here  and  there  to  rest  a  mo- 
ment, displaying  the  greatest  confidence  and  abso- 
lute lack  of  fear. 

While  the  humming  birds  are  the  most  delicate 
of  the  bird  creation,  —  veritable  feathered  atoms,  — 
their  powers  of  flight  are  remarkable.  Individuals 
of  the  ruby- throated  variety  have  been  seen  to  ap- 
proach the  steamers  ten  miles  out  at  sea,  during  the 
flight  from  the  mainland  to  Santa  Catalina,  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty  miles.  Others,  during  the  migra- 
tions, fly  from  the  lowlands  of  Mexico  to  the  arctic 
circle  and  back  during  the  year,  thus  equaling 
many  of  the  most  powerful  birds  in  endurance  or 
the  faculty  of  covering  long  distances. 

One  of  the  curious  features  of  humming  birds  is 
that  they  are  never  found  in  Europe,  being  exclu- 
sively American,  ranging  from  the  extreme  north 


86 

and  south  to  the  tropics,  adding  to  the  beauty 
of  field  and  grove,  being  veritable  living  gems. 
Nothing  can  approach  the  humming  bird  in  its 
gorgeous  decoration.  It  is  especially  rich  in  the 
metallic  tints,  seemingly  splashed  with  red,  blue, 
green,  and  other  bronzes.  Some  appear  to  be 
decked  in  a  coat  of  mail,  others  blazing  in  the  sun- 
light with  headdresses  and  breastplates,  dazzling 
to  behold.  The  smallest  of  birds,  they  are  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  ornaments  of  our 
fields  and  gardens. 


THE   FAMOUS  TORTUGAS   BULLFIGHT 

THERE  was  an  air  of  mystery  about  a  certain 
house  on  the  Dry  Tortugas.  For  several  days  a 
number  of  boys  had  been  coming  and  going,  meet- 
ing in  the  back  yard,  and  arranging  seats  about  the 
sides  (some  of  which  they  decorated  with  green 


87 

vines  and  others  with  pots  of  flowers),  until  the 
place  bore  the  appearance  of  a  circus,  with  its 
central  inclosed  arena. 

The  secret  finally  made  its  escape,  and  a  rumor 
announced  to  the  world  that  on  the  Fourth  of  July 
there  would  be  in  the  arena  a  bullfight,  at  which  a 
celebrated  matador  would  appear. 

I  remember  it  well,  for  I  was  the  matador,  and 
the  picadors  and  banderilleros  were  my  fun -loving 
companions.  Some  neighbors  had  recently  been 
on  a  visit  to  Havana,  where  they  had  attended  a 
bullfight,  and  the  event  was  now  to  be  duly  re- 
produced with  all  the  splendor  available. 

I  had  been  chosen  matador.  There  was  no  little 
competition,  and  well  there  might  be.  The  matador 
receives  all  the  honors.  He  it  is  who,  with  eagle 
eye,  stands  like  a  statue  and  receives  the  terrific 
charge  of  the  bull,  slays  him  by  a  thrust  of  his 
gleaming  sword,  and  then,  as  the  animal  is  dragged 
off,  accepts  the  homage  of  the  people. 

I  was  matador,  not  that  I  had  any  experience,  but 
simply  because  I  owned  the  "bull"  —  a  very  ex- 
traordinary rabbit  that  had  known  me  as  master  for 
several  years. 

Jack,  as  the  rabbit  was  called,  differed  from 
any  of  his  kind  that  I  have  ever  seen  or  heard  of. 
He  was  not  only  absolutely  without  fear,  but  he 


88 

never  missed  an  opportunity  to  show  his  courage. 
He  stood  not  upon  the  order  of  going,  but  promptly 
charged  every  person  or  dog  that  dared  to  enter 
his  yard.  This  disposition  upon  Jack's  part,  I  must 
confess,  was  encouraged  rather  than  otherwise.  It 
was  a  strong  temptation  to  scale  the  fence  of  the 
inclosure  in  which  he  was  kept,  jump  in,  run  across, 
and  climb  up  the  other  side  just  ahead  of  Jack,  who 
would  leap  a  foot  into  the  air  in  his  disappointment. 

It  can  readily  be  seen,  then,  that  Jack  possessed 
all  the  characteristics  necessary  to  enable  him  to 
enact  the  part  of  a  first-class  Spanish  bull ;  and  in 
no  sense  did  he  disappoint  the  great  expectations 
we  had  of  him. 

On  the  day  of  the  proposed  bullfight  everything 
was  in  readiness.  The  yard,  which  was  covered 
with  wire  grass,  was  about  thirty  feet  wide  by  sixty 
in  length,  and  surrounded  by  a  fence.  Boxes  had 
been  placed  in  the  upper  end,  against  this  fence  ; 
and  here  the  young  spectators  were  seated,  repre- 
senting the  Spanish  grandees  and  noble  ladies, 
patrons  of  the  sport. 

As  the  matador,  I  was  not  to  come  in  until  the 
bull  had  been  driven  to  a  frenzy  by  the  banderil- 
leros,  or  dart  throwers,  and  picadors,  or  spearmen. 
At  an  early  moment  I  took  my  place  among  the 
grandees.  I  was  dressed  in  an  attempt  at  Spanish 


89 

magnificence,  with  numerous  ribbons  and  a  turban - 
like  hat,  and  was  armed  with  a  wooden  sword,  as, 
after  all,  it  was  in  fun,  and  at  the  last  Jack  was  to 
be  spared.  The  picadors  and  banderilleros  were 
also  fantastically  arrayed.  One  was  barelegged 
and  had  red  ribbons  bound  about  his  sun-browned 
limbs;  another  wore  a  yellow  sash  about  his  waist 
and  many-hued  ribbons  on  shoulders  and  elbows. 
The  two  picadors  were  supposed  to  be  on  horse- 
back, and  were  armed  with  long  spears  made  of 
bamboo  fishing  poles  ;  while  the  banderilleros  only 
carried  red  bandannas,  which  they  were  to  wave  in 
front  of  the  enraged  bull  to  distract  his  attention  if 
it  so  happened  that  the  picadors  were  in  danger. 

Finally  everything  was  ready.  A  blast  from  a 
bugle,  and  the  slat  which  took  the  place  of  a  gate 
was  pulled  up,  the  bull  darted  from  his  box,  and 
with  two  or  three  hops  gained  the  center  of  the 
arena. 

Jack  was  a  magnificent  fellow,  large,  and  dark 
gray,  except  a  white  stripe  running  down  his  nose ; 
his  ears  were  long,  and  lopped  heavily.  He  was  a 
native  of  the  British  Isles,  and  possessed  a  very 
pugnacious  disposition.  For  a  moment  the  bull 
(meaning  Jack,  of  course)  looked  about,  amazed  at 
the  unusual  concourse.  Then,  perceiving  a  banderil- 
lero  waving  a  red  cloth,  he  started.  His  long  ears 


stood  out  straight  behind,  and  he  went  over  the 
ground  like  a  flash.  The  banderillero  stepped  nim- 
bly to  one  side,  after  the  usual  fashion ;  but  Jack 

jumped  for  the  scar- 
let cloth,  seized  it 
with  his  teeth,  and 
jerked  it  from  the 
hands  of  the  ban- 
derillero, amid  a 
roar  of  applause. 
This  was  an  un- 
expected move,  and 
not  down  on  the 
bills,  and  the  ban- 
derillero stood  ir- 
resolute a  moment. 
Not  so  the  bull. 
Dropping  the  ban- 
danna, he  rushed  at  his  enemy,  who,  panic-stricken, 
leaped  into  the  air  to  avoid  him,  and  then  dashed  pell- 
mell  for  the  fence.  The  bull  had  gone  by  but  a  few 
feet,  and,  turning  quickly,  he  flew  in  pursuit,  with  fire 
in  his  eye,  and  would  have  overtaken  his  victim  had 
not  a  picador  dropped  the  point  of  his  long  lance, 
and  prepared  to  charge.  Quick  as  a  flash,  the  bull 
lowered  his  head  and  dashed  under  the  weapon. 
Taken  by  surprise,  the  picador  hesitated ;  the  audi- 


The  bull  darted  from  his  box. 


ence,  seeing  his  danger,  shouted  encouragingly, 
then  hooted  and  jeered  as  he  turned  and  fled  at  full 
speed.  The  bull  was  not  a  foot  behind,  and  the 
picador  had  no  opportunity  to  climb  the  fence  with- 
out being  caught,  unless  he  could  first  increase  the 
distance  between  them.  So  on  he  flew,  once  around, 
then  dodged,  and,  amid  a  roar  of  applause,  leaped 
his  imaginary  horse  into  the  air,  allowing  the  bull 
to  pass  under  him.  Before  the  latter  could  recover, 
he  was  halfway  to  the  fence.  To  increase  his  speed 
he  threw  down  the  spear.  A  few  steps  more,  and  he 
reached  the  barrier; 
his  hands  were  on 
the  top  rail  —  up  — 
almost  over,  when  a 
long -eared  object 
shot  into  the  air. 
A  yell,  a  ripping, 
tearing  sound,  and 
the  bull  dropped 
back  with  a  mouth- 
ful df  gaudy  ribbons, 
while  the  defeated 
picador  whisked 

Over     the     fence.  Master  of  the  Arena. 

The  bull  looked  at  the  ground,  chewed  the  rib- 
bons a  moment  or  two,  and  boldly  hopped  into  the 


middle  of  the  arena.  He  sniffed  at  the  wooden 
lance,  nosing  it  with  contempt,  then  deliberately  sat 
up  on  his  haunches  and  looked  around,  with  his 
great  lop  ears  gracefully  drooping. 

This  was  undoubtedly  a  challenge ;  and  the 
grandees  stood  up  in  the  private  boxes  and  cheered 
long  and  loud.  In  the  meanwhile  the  " physician" 
in  attendance  had  been  sent  for  court-plaster,  as 
on  the  brown  legs  of  the  picador  various  red  streaks 
were  rapidly  appearing.  After  the  bull  had  seized 
the  gay  ribbons  that  had  ornamented  the  short 
trousers  of  the  brave  picador,  he  had  used  his  hind 
legs  vigorously  as  scratchers —  "  raking  the  picador 
fore  and  aft,"  as  was  said  by  a  young  sailor  who 
was  among  the  spectators.  This  was  the  first  cas- 
ualty, and  inspired  every  one  with  no  little  respect 
for  the  bull,  who  was  now  lying  stretched  at  full 
length  upon  the  grass,  with  one  eye  on  the  boxes, 
where  a  loud  talking  was  kept  up. 

The  picadors  and  banderilleros  decided  that  they 
had  done  their  duty,  which  was  to  enrage  the  bull 
by  feats  of  daring  at  the  risk  of  their  legs.  *The 
horse  of  one  picador  had  been  terribly  gored,  they 
said,  a  banderillero  wounded,  and  his  expensive 
costume  ruined  ;  and  the  bull  was  not  only  not  con- 
quered, but  seemed  to  be  enjoying  it  —  to  prove 
which  they  pointed  to  his  recumbent  form.  Shouts 


93 

now  came  from  the  grand  stand,  and  the  grandees 
rose  en  masse  and  clamored  for  the  matador. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  reader  who  may  never  have 
engaged  in  a  bullfight,  I  should  explain  that  the 
matador  is  selected  for  personal  prowess  and  skill. 
He  must  stand  the  charge  of  the  bull,  and,  as  the 
infuriated  animal  dashes  at  him,  step  swiftly  aside, 
and  plunge  his  true  and  gleaming  blade  into  the 
victim,  killing  him  on  the  spot.  It  was  now  my 
turn ;  and  as  I  stepped  down  from  the  boxes,  and 
the  grandees  cheered  and  waved  their  sombreros, 
it  was  the  proudest  day  of  my  life.  My  lath  sword 
was  looked  to,  and,  feeling  glad  that  I  knew  the 
bull,  I  stepped  into  the  arena. 

Old  Jack  first  raised  one  ear  as  I  entered,  next 
raised  his  head  and  calmly  eyed  me ;  then  he 
dropped  his  big  ears  upon  the  grass  again,  and 
pretended  to  go  to  sleep ! 

This  was  unbearable,  and  an  agile  picador  sprang 
forward  and  fluttered  a  red  bandanna  before  him. 
Jack  rose  into  the  air  with  a  single  bound,  and 
away  went  the  two  for  the  fence,  the  picador  escap- 
ing, and  the  bull  leaping  halfway,  but  falling  back 
upon  his  haunches.  For  a  moment  he  stood  look- 
ing up,  hoping  that  his  enemy  would  reappear. 
Then,  turning,  he  saw  the  matador. 

Jack  evidently  recognized  me,  and  felt  that  here 


94 

was  no  common  enemy,  but  one  who  knew  his  tac- 
tics. And  I  did  —  numerous  scars  upon  my  legs 
testifying  to  the  fact.  He  did  not  approach  me, 
but  loped  slowly  around  the  circle — a  scheme  to 
'gain  time,  I  thought.  A  picador  now  jumped  after 
him ;  another  met  him  in  front.  Finally  he  turned, 
and,  as  they  fled,  came  at  me  upon  a  dead  run.  It 
was  in  the  nature  of  a  surprise ;  but  I  stood  firm, 
intending  to  lunge  at  him,  pretending  to  slay  him  ; 
then,  by  successful  dodging,  I  would  avoid  a  per- 
sonal conflict,  claiming  a  victory  upon  the  ground 
of  skill.  All  eyes  were  upon  me,  the  grandees 
were  spellbound,  and  a  blast  from  the  tin  trumpet 
rent  the  air. 

On  came  the  bull,  and  raising  my  gleaming  lath, 
I  prepared  to  strike  and  jump.  But  the  bull  fore- 
stalled me.  Instead  of  coming  close,  as  was  his 
rule,  he  jumped  at  me  from  a  distance  of  nearly 
three  feet.  Confused  by  the  flying  object,  I  fell 
back,  caught  my  foot  in  a  loop  of  wire  grass,  and 
ignominiously  went  down,  with  Jack  upon  me.  He 
seized  my  thin  trousers  with  his  teeth,  and  with 
quick  scratches  of  his  sharp  hind  claws  gave  the 
article  as  many  serious  wounds.  A  shout  —  yes,  a 
roar  —  arose  as  I  fell!  I  was  aware  of  the  derisive 
tones,  and  in  desperation  I  seized  Jack  by  one  of  his 
long  ears,  wrenched  him  from  his  hold,  and  picked 


95 

myself  up.  No  gayly  caparisoned  horses  came  in 
to  drag  out  the  dead  bull ;  no  applause  arose  from 
the  grandees;  no  flowers  or  wreaths  were  thrown 
to  the  victor. 

The  matador  had  been  fairly  defeated,  and  he 
was  forced  to  acknowledge  it. 

This  unlooked-for  ending  had  somewhat  changed 
the  programme.  It  was  expected  that  the  bull  would 


44 1  seized  Jack  by  one  of  his  long  ears." 

be  slain  or  defeated ;  and  a  goat  harnessed  to  a 
diminutive  cart,  with  a  garland  of  flowers  about  his 
neck,  was  in  waiting  to  drag  out  the  body.  A  com- 
promise was  finally  effected,  for  the  grandees  cheered 
the  bull  and  demanded  that  he  receive  the  flowers. 


96 

So  the  matador  accepted  the  situation  ;  the  goat  was 
driven  in,  a  box  placed  on  the  cart,  and  the  victo- 
rious bull  was  perched  upon  it.  He  looked  ready 
for  another  fight,  and  as  if  he  would  enjoy  it. 

The  cavalcade  drove  up  to  the  boxes  of  the 
grandees,  and  the  wreath  intended  for  the  matador 
was  placed  about  the  neck  of  triumphant  Jack. 
Chewing  at  the  flowers,  he  was  borne  proudly 
around  the  arena,  amid  shouts,  and  blasts  from  the 
trumpet!  Then  the  picadors  and  banderilleros 
opened  the  gates,  and  he  passed  out. 

So  ended  the  famous  Tortugas  bullfight 

ROGUE    ELEPHANTS. 

SOME  years  ago,  a  famous  hunter,  traveling 
through  India  in  search  of  amusement  and  infor- 
mation, was  met  by  a  deputation  of  natives  from 
a  small  village,  who  asked  his  protection  from  an 
elephant  that  had  taken  up  its  residence  near  their 
town.  Not  only  had  the  great  animal  again  and 
again  destroyed  their  crops,  but  it  had  killed  sev- 
eral men.  Altogether,  the  elephant  was  the  terror 
of  the  large  and  formerly  prosperous  community. 

The  hunter  assured  the  natives  that  he  would 
try  to  destroy  their  enemy,  and  he  at  once  made 
his  preparations. 


97 

The  stranger  was  an  experienced  elephant 
hunter,  having  followed  the  great  beasts  wher- 
ever found,  in  Africa,  Ceylon,  and  India.  He 
knew  at  once  that  this  troublesome  fellow  was 
what  is  known  as  a  "  rogue," — a  term  given  to 
elephants  that  are  vicious,  not  simply  roguish, — 
brutes  that  try  to  destroy  everything,  especially 
the  property  and  lives  of  men. 

First,  he  must  learn,  if  possible,  the  ways  and 
habits  of  this  especial  rogue,  and,  with  that  object 
in  view,  he  consulted  the  headmen  and  hunters 
of  several  villages. 

One  man  said  that  the  rogue  was  possessed  of 
an  evil  spirit;  that  on  one  day  it  would  visit  one 
locality,  and  o'n  the  next  day  be  heard  of  many 
miles  away.  As  to  its  actions,  the  man  said,  it 
suddenly  came  from  a  dense  jungle  near  his  native 
town,  and  dashed  through  the  streets  at  midday, 
tearing  houses  to  pieces,  throwing  them  into  the 
air,  and  utterly  wrecking  the  neighborhood.  It 
also  killed  several  people,  after  which  it  was  seen 
quietly  feeding  in  the  gardens  near  the  town. 

Another  native  told  a  similar  story.  This  time 
the  rogue  appeared  at  night,  broke  down  fences, 
and  destroyed  the  crops.  When  fired  upon,  it 
rushed  into  a  small  village,  doing  much  damage, 
and  driving  the  inhabitants  to  the  woods. 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  7 


98 

Still  another  man  reported  that  for  weeks  a  pub- 
lic road  between  two  villages  had  been  deserted  by 
every  one,  because  the  rogue  had  taken  possession. 
The  man  added  that  at  the  time  of  the  hunter's 
coming  the  ehphant  was  destroying  the  rice  fields 
about  the  town,  the  people  being  powerless  to 
prevent  him. 

This  evidence  was  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
elephant  was  a  sly  and  vicious  rogue,  and  must  be 
approached  with  caution. 

Ten  or  fifteen  elephants  that  could  be  relied 
upon  were  engaged,  and  also  a  force  of  experi- 
enced beaters  and  drivers.  Early  one  morning 
the  party  set  out  for  the  capture  of  the  rogue  — 
then  supposed  to  be  about  thirty  miles  away. 

Their  march  led  them  across  country,  and  on 
their  way  they  saw  how  easily  elephants  can  over- 
come difficulties  of  all  kinds.  Who  would  suppose 
for  a  moment  that  so  huge  and  ungainly  an  ani- 
mal would  be  entirely  at  home  in  the  water  ?  Yet 
few  animals  are  more  so.  Upon  the  first  day  of 
the  march  all  the  elephants  were  obliged  to  swim 
a  deep  river;  and  they  plunged  in  with  every  evi- 
dence of  satisfaction.  While  swimming,  their  huge 
bodies  were  entirely  covered ;  the  tips  of  the  trunks 
alone,  through  which  the  big  animals  breathed,  oc- 
casionally appeared  above  the  water.  They  would 


99 


now    and   then    raise    their   eyes    also    above    the 
surface. 

As  each  elephant  carried  a  mahoitt,  or  driv- 
er, and  sometimes  several  passengers  besides, 
looked  at  from  a  distance  the  appearance  of  the 
line  was,  to  say  the  least, 
remarkable.  The  native 
drivers  appeared  to 

be       walking 

through  the  wa- 
ter, though  in 
reality  they 
stood  upright 
upon  the  ele- 
phants' backs, 
steadying  them- 
selves by  ropes 
attached  to  their 

,  "Their  huge  bodies  were  entirely  covered." 

neck  or  tusks. 

The  elephants  proved  themselves  equally  pro- 
ficient in  sliding  down  hill,  changing  themselves 
into  animated  toboggans.  The  road  finally 
brought  the  hunters  to  a  cliff  so  steep  that  few 
horsemen  would  have  cared  to  risk  their  horses 
upon  it;  but  with  elephants  it  was  a  different  mat- 
ter. An  old  and  trustworthy  animal,  being  selected 
as  leader,  cautiously  stepped  over  the  side  and  upon 


too 


the  incline.  Here  it  doubled  back  its  hind  legs, 
stretched  its  fore  legs  straight  out,  and  rapidly  slid 
down,  making  a  good  path  for  those  that  followed. 

The  rest  adopted 
the  same  tactics, 
and  safely  reached 
the  plain  below. 

Plunging  into  the 
forest  again,  the 
party  pushed  on, 
finally  reaching  the 
neighborhood  in 
which  the  rogue 

toboggans."     WaS      Supposed     to 

be     hiding.      The 

hunter  found  that  the  villagers  had 
told  no  more  than  the  truth.  The  peo- 
ple were  in  a  state  of  terror,  not  knowing 
at  what  moment  the  huge  animal  might  rush  out 
upon  them.  The  night  before  it  had  been  seen 
feeding  in  the  rice  fields,  and  probably  it  was  then 
not  far  away.  After  seeing  his  men  and  elephants 
established  in  camp,  the  hunter  went  with  the  head- 
man of  the  village  to  look  over  the  ground. 

The  native  was  greatly  excited,  and  told  some 
marvelous  stories  about  the  elephant  and  its  do- 
ings. He  showed  the  newcomers  a  field  where 


Animated 


101 


the  fences  had  been  razed  to  the  ground  and 
trampled  to  pieces,  and  the  crops  eaten  or  de- 
stroyed. The  rogue  had  been  there  the  previous 
night,  and  as  it  would  return  again  to  continue  its 
feast  upon  what  was  left,  the  sportsman  decided  to 
await  it  there.  In  the  center  of  a  patch  of  grain 
was  a  framework  platform  or  scaffolding,  built  by 
the  natives,  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  scarecrow. 
It  was  large  enough  for  a  few  natives  to  stand 
upon.  They  frightened  away  birds  or  beasts  by 
beating  tam-tams  and  making  other  loud  noises. 

The  hunter  informed  the  native  that  he  would 
station  himself  on  the  scaffolding  that  evening,  and 
shoot  the  rogue  when  it  came  to  finish  its  meal. 
The  headman  shook  his  head,  and  replied  that  it 
was  a  place  of  great  danger;  but  the  sportsman  in- 
sisted, and  night  found  him  lying  upon  the  scaffold- 
ing with  several  gun  bearers,  while  others  were 
hidden  about  the  field. 

The  rogue  usually  appeared  at  about  nine  o'clock ; 
but  that  hour  passed,  and  midnight  came,  without 
signs  of  it.  As  the  hours  passed  on,  the  watchers 
began  to  think  that  possibly  the  animal  had  made 
one  of  its  sudden  marches  and  was  now  far  away. 

Suddenly  a  snort  was  heard,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment a  big  form  could  be  made  out  standing  among 
the  vegetation.  It  was  the  rogue  elephant.  It 


IO2 

had  approached  so  quietly  that  no  one  had  heard 
it.  The  sportsman  leveled  his  heavy  rifle,  and, 
when  he  saw  a  good  opportunity,  fired.  The 
answer  was  a  snort,  seemingly  of  defiance,  while 
the  animal  charged  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
flash  appeared.  Finding  only  the  scaffolding,  the 
rogue  seized  it  and  with  a  single  wrench  hurled  it 
to  the  ground.  Fortunately,  the  men  were  thrown 
several  yards  away,  and,  falling  among  the  vegeta- 
tion, were  not  injured.  While  they  made  their  way 
to  cover,  the  rogue  rushed  off  into  the  woods.  That 
it  was  wounded  they  discovered  the  following  day, 
and  on  a  subsequent  occasion  the  animal  was  killed 
by  the  intrepid  hunter,  who  might  easily  have  lost 
his  life  at  the  time  the  scaffolding  was  pulled  down. 
Elephant  shooting  for  sport  is  becoming  a  thing 
of  the  past  in  India,  the  only  elephants  now  hunted 
for  pleasure  being  these  rogues — animals  that  are 
dangerous  to  the  community.  The  complete  his- 
tory of  rogue  elephants  would  make  interesting 
reading.  They  seem  to  have  decided  to  avenge 
man's  wrongs  against  their  kind.  Some  years  ago 
one  rogue  actually  took  possession  of  a  stretch  of 
country  in  India  forty  miles  wide  by  one  hundred 
long,  and  in  a  businesslike  way  proceeded  to  de- 
molish everything  in  or  about  it.  The  animal 
rushed  into  the  villages,  took  huts  upon  its  tusks 


103 

and  tore  them  apart,  or  tossed  them  until  they  fell 
in  splinters.  It  chased  the  people  away  or  killed 
them  whenever  it  could,  or,  standing  by  the  wrecked 
houses,  it  ate  the  grain  and  other  stores. 

This  elephant  seemed  remarkably  intelligent.  It 
entertained,  in  particular,  a  dislike  for  the  watch- 
towers,  or  scaffolds.  Whenever  this  rogue  saw 
one,  it  would  creep  on  slyly,  spring  at  it,  push  it 
to  the  ground,  and  kill  its  occupants. 

A  famous  elephant  named  "Mandla"  was  once 
owned  by  a  rich  man  near  Jubbulpore,  in  central 
India.  Suddenly  it  began  to  develop  the  charac- 
teristics of  a  rogue,  and  attacked  human  beings 
wherever  seen.  It  killed  them  so  cruelly  that  it 
became  widely  known  as  "  the  man-eater."  It  was 
finally  destroyed  by  an  organized  effort  of  English 
army  officers.  * 

An  elephant  known  in  India  as  the  "  Kakankote  " 
rogue  took  possession  of  a  tract  about  eight  miles 
long  in  a  region  of  that  name,  and  for  months 
devastated  the  fields  and  defied  the  natives.  It 
terrified  the  people  so  that  a  stretch  of  road  between 
Mysore  and  Wynaad  was  deserted  and  given  over 
to  this  elephantine  highwayman  ;  for  a  highwayman 
it  was,  ready  to  pounce  upon  every  one  who  passed 
that  way.  The  native  authorities  for  a  long  time 
stationed  a  guard  at  the  entrance  of  the  district  to 


warn  all  travelers ;  and  finally  the  people  applied 
to  the  government  for  aid.  After  being  hunted  for 
five  months,  this  rogue  was  shot. 

Another  famous  rogue  took  possession  of  a  public 
road  and  attacked  every  passer-by.  Suddenly 
darting  from  the  jungle,  it  would  rush  up  to  an  ox 
cart,  seize  the  driver  with  its  trunk,  and  disappear. 
Repeated  raids  of  this  kind  so  terrified  the  people 
that  a  large  tract  of  land  was  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses deserted ;  but  finally  an  English  hunter  de- 
termined to  rid  J:he  country  of  the  rogue.  By 
careful  inquiry  he  found  that  the  elephant  always 
seized  the  driver,  and  if  there  were  two  carts  in 
company,  it  chose  the  driver  of  the  last.  So  he 
arranged  two  ox  carts,  putting  a  dummy  driver  upon 
the  second,  while  upon  the  first  was  a  stout  bamboo 
cage,  in  which  the  hunter  was  to  sit,  rifle  in  hand. 
When  all  was  ready  the  two  ox  carts  started,  one 
day,  followed  by  the  best  wishes  of  the  community. 
The  fatal  district  was  soon  reached,  and,  about 
halfway  down  the  road,  there  came  a  crash,  and 
the  monstrous  elephant,  dark  and  ugly,  dashed 
upon  the  party.  Making  directly  for  the  last  cart, 
with  a  vicious  swing  of  its  trunk  it  seized  the  dummy 
man  and  made  off,  receiving  as  it  went  a  shot  from 
the  cage.  But  the  oxen,  alarmed  by  the  uproar, 
ran  away,  leaving  the  road  and  taking  to  the  open 


105 

country.  They  tipped  the  cart  over,  nearly  killing 
the  driver  and  the  caged  English  sportsman.  What 
the  elephant  thought  when  it  tore  the  dummy  into 
shreds  must  be  imagined.  Some  months  later  this 
rogue  was  driven  away  and  caught. 

In  1847  the  Rangbodde  Pass,  that  led  to  the 
famed  health  resort  of  Neuera-Ellia,  Ceylon,  was 
captured  by  a  rogue  elephant  It  seized  every  na- 
tive who  passed  that  way,  closing  the  roadway  as 
completely  as  if  a  regiment  of  soldiers  had  been 
placed  there  with  orders  to  slay  all  human  beings 
who  tried  to  go  through  the  pass.  One  of  the  last 
acts  of  the  elephant  was  to  charge  upon  the  caval- 
cade of  a  native  trader  who  had  never  heard  of  the 
rogue.  The  trader  succeeded  in  escaping,  but  his 
attendant  coolie  was  seized  and  dashed  to  the 
ground,  after  which  the  rogue  turned  its  attention 
to  the  stock  of  goods,  coolly  inspecting  and  destroy- 
ing them,  piece  by  piece.  After  slaying  a  num- 
ber of  natives^  this  rogue  was  killed  by  an  English 
sportsman. 

An  acquaintance  of  Sir  Emerson  Tennent,  a 
Cingalese  gentleman,  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
a  rogue  that  had  earned  a  very  unsavory  reputa- 
tion in  its  neighborhood.  The  elephant  suddenly 
rushed  upon  the  party  from  behind  a  small  hill. 
First  it  caught  an  attendant  with  its  trunk,  and 


io6 

hurled  him  to  the  ground  ;  then  it  seized  the  Cinga- 
lese, throwing  him  upward  with  such  force  that  he 
landed  in  the  high  branches  of  a  tree,  safe  and 
sound,  with  the  exception  of  a  dislocated  wrist. 

There  are  several  explanations  of  the  rogue 
elephant's  fury,  and  without  doubt  one  cause  is  a 
desire  to  revenge  some  ill  treatment.  This  is  well 
shown  in  the  case  of  a  certain  Cingalese  elephant. 
Its  keeper  prodded  it  very  cruelly  in  the  head.  The 
elephant  lost  patience,  and,  reaching  up,  dragged 
him  from  its  back  and  hurled  him  to  the  ground. 
Fortunately,  the  driver  fell  into  a  hole  or  depres- 
sion, where  the  elephant  did  not  see  him.  The 
elephant,  hitherto  peaceful,  immediately  became  a 
revengeful  rogue,  and  started  out  upon  what  proved 
a  tour  of  destruction.  It  ran  through  a  neighbor- 
ing village,  and  broke  into  a  house,  and  killed  the 
owner.  Several  hours  later  it  wrecked  houses  in 
other  villages,  and  killed  natives  in  four  or  five 
towns.  The  houses  or  huts  were  crushed  and 
rent,  evidently  in  the  search  for  human  victims, 
though  this  rogue  did  not  confine  itself  to  men 
alone,  but  attacked  horses  and  cattle.  Finally  the 
elephant  tried  to  enter  the  palace  of  the  Dehra 
Rajah,  and,  upon  being  driven  off,  returned  to  the 
house  of  its  original  owner  at  Bebipur.  This 
house  it  tried  to  demolish  in  order  to  catch  the 


persons  concealed  there.  The  savage  creature  was 
finally  captured  by  a  body  of  men  with  tame  elephants. 

An  old  copy  of  the  "Colombo  Observer"  contains 
this  advertisement:  "  ROGUE  ELEPHANT. — A  reward 
of  twenty-five  guineas  will  be  paid  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  rogue  elephant  on  the  Rajawalle  plan- 
tation." The  elephant  here  referred  to  had  taken 
up  its  residence  on  this  coffee  plantation,  and  had 
so  terrified  the  people  that  all  work  was  suspended. 
Its  operations  and  misdeeds  were  always  conducted 
at  night,  at  which  time  it  would  mysteriously  ap- 
pear and  devote  its  attention  to  destroying  build- 
ings, uprooting  trees,  and  demolishing  the  work  of 
the  men.  <  The  waterworks,  pipes,  and  other  ob- 
jects on  the  plantation  seemed  especially  to  irritate 
the  animal,  and  they  were  torn  up  or  stamped  upon 
and  ruined.  The  rogue  was  finally  conquered  by 
a  party  organized  for  the  purpose. 

Rogues  are  sometimes  merely  mischievous.  A 
party  of  surveyors  in  India  found  that  the  wooden 
pegs  which  they  set  out  were  pulled  up  with  much 
regularity  by  an  elephant.  The  same  joker  stole 
a  surveyor's  chain,  and  seemed  to  delight  in  shak- 
ing it  about  to  hear  it  jingle. 

An  elephant  in  a  circus  or  menagerie  sometimes 
becomes  a  rogue,  and  during  the  past  few  years 
a  number  of  such  instances  have  occurred. 


io8 


Ferocious  as  the  rogue  elephant  appears  to  be, 
its  record  as  a  man-killer  is  far  below  that  of  other 
animals.  Thus  in  India,  in  1875,  the  tigers  killed 
828  persons  and  12,423  domestic  animals  ;  wolves 
killed  1 06 1  persons;  leopards  187  persons  and  16,- 
157  domestic  animals  ;  while  the  elephant  is  charged 
with  but  6 1  persons  killed,  and  6  domestic  animals. 
Rogue  tigers,  wolves,  and  leopards  are  far  more  to 
be  dreaded  than  rogue  elephants. 


SOME   BABY   BIRDS. 

IT  is  in  spring  that  our  fields,  hedges,  and  woods 
resound  with  the  most  joyous  notes  from  our  feath- 
ered friends.  In  the  apple  trees,  among  the  blos- 
soms, the  robins  hold  a  festival ;  in  the  old  dead 
tree  over  the  way  we  may  perhaps  find  a  nest  of 
bluebirds ;  in  the  vines  around  our  cottage  door  a 


109 

sparrow  chirps  about  her  young ;  and  from  an 
aged  hollow- topped  clothespole  we  may  hear  faint 
peeps,  and  may  see  a  little  wren  disappear  within. 
Even  the  chimneys  are  converted  into  nurseries  for 
the  swallows,  while  the  hedges,  cedars,  and  other 
retreats  all  form  shelters  for  baby  birds. 

What  a  cry  for  food  this  great  nursery  sets  up ! 
The  slightest  noise  near  the  nest,  and  baby  mouths 
are  held  up,  always  open,  and  seemingly  never 
satisfied.  Fathers  and  mothers  work  so  hard  that 
they  scarcely  have  time  to  eat.  The  first  worms 
and  insects  that  come  out  after  their  long  winter 
sleep  are  captured  for  these  babies,  and  in  such 
numbers  that  it  is  a  wonder  that  any  are  left  to 
enjoy  the  summer  days. 

Of  all  our  familiar  birds,  the  little  owls  are  among 
the  most  curious.  They  are  mere  bundles  of  fuzz 
and  feathers,  and  if  we  are  fortunate  enough  to  find 
the  nest,  the  sight  proves  an  interesting  one.  The 
old  tree,  grim  and  forsaken,  except  perhaps  by 
clinging  vines  and  moss,  gives  little  token  of  the 
family  within ;  but  we  draw  near  the  dark  hole 
that  once  bore  a  sturdy  limb,  scratch  upon  the  bark, 
and,  presto !  four  queer  heads,  with  sharp  black 
eyes,  pop  into  view,  exactly  as  if  we  had  touched  a 
spring  —  only  to  fall  back  as  quickly  when  they 
find  out  their  mistake. 


I  IO 


The  old  birds  mate  as  early  as  February,  and  in 
May  the  nursery  is  begun.  Sometimes,  as  we  have 
seen,  it  is  in  a  hollow  tree  or  in  a  crevice  in  the  rock; 

again,  we  may  h'nd 
the  nest  on  a  large 
bough  high  in  air. 
When  in  this  posi- 
tion, the  home  is 
formed  of  large  dried 
sticks;  crooked  twigs 
are  laid  for  the  foun- 
dation, and  the  inte- 
rior is  lined  with  soft 
grasses  and  some- 
times feathers,  so 
that  the  entire  nest 
is  perhaps  three  feet 
across.  Soon  after 
its  completion,  four 
and  sometimes  six  eggs  will  be  found,  and  then  the 
vigilance  of  both  parents  is  necessary,  as  it  is  the 
only  brood  of  the  season. 

When  the  mother  bird  becomes  tired,  her  mate 
takes  her  place  and  guards  the  home  while  she 
travels  off  to  rob  some  neighboring  farmyard  of  a 
stray  duck  or  chicken.  The  young  do  not  leave 
their  home  until  they  are  fully  feathered,  and  they 


"  Four  heads  pop  into  view." 


1 1 1 

are  fed  on  rats,  mice,  rabbits,  and  small  birds,  and 
develop  a  most  remarkable  appetite. 

In  April  we  may  find  upon  the  ground,  on  marshy 
shores  by  some  river  or  creek,  a  plain  nest  formed 
of  a  few  withered  leaves  and  branches,  carelessly 
placed,  as  if  the  mother  were  a  poor  housekeeper. 
At  this  time  it  perhaps  contains  five  or  six  clay- 
colored  eggs  spotted  with  brown  and  purple.  Vis- 
iting it  a  little  later,  we  shall  find  the  birds  out  — 
the  strangest  little  creatures  imaginable. 

o  o 

They  lie  cuddled  together,  a  mass  of  brownish- 
white  down.  When  disturbed  they  start  up  and 
topple  over,  and  appear  to  be  all  legs  and  bills.  A 
great  brown  stripe  runs  down  the  back ;  another 
passes  through  the  eye  and  under  it,  while  others 
under  the  delicate  wings  give  these  baby  wood- 
cocks the  appearance  of  woolly  zebras.  The  legs 
and  long  bill  are  purple,  and  certainly  these  are  the 
prettiest  of  all  the  bird  babies  we  have  seen. 

The  smallest  of  the  bird  babies  is  the  humming 
bird.  The  largest  was  the  epiornis,  now  extinct. 
One  of  its  eggs  was  equal  in  size  to  twelve  thou- 
sand humming  bird's  eggs.  The  nest  of  the  hum- 
ming bird  is  often  found  in  pear  trees  or  apple 
trees,  and  is  a  beautiful  structure.  The  exterior  is 
made  up  of  small  pieces  of  the  dark  and  gray 
lichens  which  the  mother  finds  upon  trees  and 


112 

rocks.  These  are  placed  all  about  the  nest,  and 
glued  together  by  some  secretion  from  her  mouth. 
Almost  always  she  selects  pieces  for  the  outer  cov- 
ering that  will  match  in  color  the  surrounding 
branches,  so  that  the  nest  is  really  protected  by  its 
color.  In  the  interior  she  places  layers  of  the 
wings  of  flying  seeds,  and  on  these  the  downy  silk 
of  the  mullein,  with  delicate  bits  of  fern. 

From  this  attractive  nest  two  little  ones  can  be 
seen  pushing  out  their  little  bills,  taking  their  food 
from  their  mother's  mouth. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  humming  birds  can 
utter  only  a  faint  chirp ;  but  John  G.  Bell,  the  natu- 
ralist, and  companion  of  Audubon  on  many  of  his 
travels,  stated  that  at  least  one  of  the  hummers  has 
a  regular  song  —  a  discovery  he  made  in  Central 
America. 

Becoming  fatigued  during  a  hunt,  Mr.  Bell  threw 
himself  down  beneath  a  richly  flowered  bush,  and 
soon  was  attracted  by  the  beautiful  hummers  that 
flew  from  flower  to  flower.  Finally,  thinking  he 
heard  a  little  song,  he  kept  perfectly  quiet  until  a 
tiny  bird  —  the  little  gray  hermit — came  quite  near 
him.  Then  the  song  was  plainly  heard.  He  after- 
wards paid  particular  attention  to  this  species,  and 
often  heard  the  delicate  intonation,  which  he  de- 
scribes as  like  the  song  of  the  canary,  only  lower. 


Resembling1  the  woodcock  are  the  baby  snipes, 
which,  soon  after  they  leave  the  nest,  run  upon 
the  shore,  and  so  much  like  the  pebbles  and  the 
sandy  beach  are  they  in 
color  and  tint  that 
considerable  ex- 
perience is  re- 
quired to  dis- 
tinguish them 
from  their  sur- 
roundings. 

The  cunning  of 
the  mother  snipe   is 
remarkable  and  almost 
beyond    belief.       On    one  Snipes' 

occasion,  in  walking  along  the  beach  with  a  com- 
panion, we  turned  around  a  large  rock,  and  up 
from  our  feet  sprang  a  snipe,  piping  with  all  her 
might.  Over  our  heads  she  flew,  and  alighted  on 
a  rock  over  which  we  had  recently  passed,  and  so 
near  that  we  could  almost  have  caught  her. 

At  our  approach  she  flew  a  little  farther  off 
and  acted  very  strangely,  as  though  hurt.  Then 
suddenly  it  occurred  to  us  that  she  was  purposely 
leading  us  away.  Such  was  the  case,  for  as  we 
returned  she  followed  us  with  loud  protest,  and 
near  the  rock  from  which  she  first  flew  we  found 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  8 


her  family  of  baby  snipes,  just  large  enough  to  start 
away  and  give  us  a  chase. 

We  caught  one,  a  beautiful  little  creature  with 
gentle,  dovelike  eyes,  that  seemed  quite  content  to 
cuddle  in  our  hands  and  utter  a  gentle  peep  not 
louder  than  the  voice  of  a  mouse;  but  the  poor 
mother's  anxiety  was  so  evident  that  we  gave  the 
little  one  its  liberty,  and  its  diminutive  legs  soon 
carried  it  to  a  place  of  safety. 

This  trick  of  attracting  people  away  from  the 
nest  is  often  repeated  by  the  old  snipes,  and  one 
has  been  seen  to  hop  along  on  one  leg,  with  wings 
drooping,  until  the  innocent  sportsman  was  well 
away  from  the  young,  when  off  she  would  dart  to 
rejoin  them  when  the  field  was  entirely  clear.  The 
spotted  sandpiper  protects  its  babies  by  the  same 
device. 

The  baby  herons  are  laughable  little  creatures, 
for  when  they  are  first  hatched,  they  differ  little  in 
appearance  from  an  ordinary  puff  ball;  when  a  little 
older,  they  are  fuzzy  objects,  seemingly  covered 
with  long  hairs.  Those  who  have  visited  Cape 
May  may  have  noticed  their  nests  in  the  cedars  near 
there,  where  the  blue  heron,  little  egret,  and  green 
bittern  all  live  in  a  colony. 

Some  curious  black  babies  are  seen  in  young* 
rails,  which,  in  the  spring,  are  found  in  the  marshes 


along  creeks  and  rivers  of  the  Middle  States.  The 
nest  is  built  of  grass,  and  the  moment  the  eggs  are 
hatched,  off  run  the  little  ones,  looking  like  mice 
running  in  and  out  among  the  grass. 

The  young  of  the  clapper  rail  are  very  similar, 
only  they  are  larger,  and  covered  with  black  down, 
with  one  or  two  spots  or  streaks  of  white,  one  spot 
being  near  the  bill.  The  clappers  make  their  nests 
near  the  sea,  where  they  are  often  washed  away  by 
heavy  gales.  After  such  a  storm  the  males  have 
been  seen  walking  about,  as  if  disconsolate,  near 
where  their  nests  have  been,  while  hundreds  of  the 
dead  mothers  have  been  seen  strewn  around,  show- 
ing that  they  died  with  their  little  ones. 

The  young  of  the  Virginia  rail  frequently  share 
the  same  fate,  and  so  great  is  the  mother's  grief 
that  she  seems  forgetful  of  all  fear,  and  cannot  be 
driven  from  the  spot  where  her  nest  stood. 

A    SUBMARINE    RAMBLE. 

"  YES,  I  have  seen  some  queer  things  in  my 
walks  under  water." 

The  speaker  was  a  tall,  athletic  man,  who  but  a 
few  moments  before  had  resembled  some  strange 
monster,  as  he  rose  from  the  water  incased  in  the 
heavy  armor  of  the  professional  diver. 


n6 

"But,"  he  continued,  "  I  can  tell  you  that  I  don't 
follow  the  calling  from  any  love  of  sport.  It  is  a 
dangerous  business  at  best,  and  whenever  you  go 
down,  something  may  happen  that  will  anchor  you 
firmly  to  the  bottom." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  a  diver?"  asked  one 
of  the  younger  listeners. 

"  Well,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  might  say  that  it  was 
by  chance.  When  I  was  a  lad,  I  lived  in  London, 
and,  like  all  boys,  found  the  docks  and  the  great 
ships  that  lay  there,  hailing  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  a  great  attraction;  so  a  part  of  every  day 
that  I  could  gain  for  myself  was  spent  in  walking 
about  the  great  piers. 

"  One  afternoon  I  was  watching  some  riggers 
at  work  on  a  large  ship.  Upon  her  rail  was  sus- 
pended a  sign  that  read :  4  For-Calcutta,  Bombay, 
and  the  East  Indies,  September  30.'  I  was  won- 
dering what  kind  of  a  place  Bombay  was,  when  a 
man  stepped  ashore,  and,  coming  up  to  me,  said, 
'  My  lad,  can  you  find  me  a  good  swimmer  about 
here?'  'I'm  a  fair  swimmer  myself,'  I  answered. 
'  You  ? '  he  said,  eying  me  from  top  to  toe. 

"  I  was  not  very  large,"  continued  the  diver,  "but 
I  happened  to  be  a  good  swimmer,  so  finally  he 
took  me  aboard  and  down  into  the  cabin,  where  the 
captain  asked  me  whether  I  could  dive  under  the 


ship's  keel  and  see  if  her  copper  had  started.  As 
I  had  often  dived  under  vessels  for  the  fun  of  it,  I 
replied  that  I  could,  and  in  half  an  hour  I  was  over- 
board and  swimming  down  to  the  place.  There, 
instead  of  a  'start,'  as  they  call  an  opening  in  the 
copper,  I  found  something  sticking  in  the  hull  — 
what  do  you  think  ?  Nothing  more  nor  less  than 
the  sword  of  a  swordfish. 

"  When  I  told  the  captain,  he  said  I  had  done  as 
well  as  a  diver,  and  gave  me  a  sovereign. 

"  Of  course,  everybody  heard  of  it,  and  whenever 
there  was  anything  lost  overboard,  or  a  vessel's 
bottom  to  examine,  I  was  sent  for.  From  calling 
me  Richard,  they  soon  took  to  giving  me  the  name 
'  Diving  Dick.'  So  you  see  it  was  very  easy  for 
me  to  slip  into  diving  as  a  business. 

"When  I  began  this  work  at  regular  wages, 
some  divers  went  down  in  diving  bells ;  but  gen- 
erally they  wore  the  armor.  They  have  improved 
the  armor  so  much  that  now  it  is  compara- 
tively easy  to  go  down.  In  old  times,  we  had  to 
grope  around  and  do  the  best  we  could ;  but  now 
we  carry  an  electric  light,  have  a  telephone  at- 
tached, and  are  able  to  talk  or  signal  to  those  above. 
My  armor,  as  you  see,"  said  the  diver,  pointing  to 
his  suit,  which  looked  like  the  cast-off  shell  of  a 
curious  animal,  "is  of  thick,  heavy  rubber,  and  in 


n8 

two  parts,  the  trousers  and  shoes  being  in  one 
piece.  The  headpiece  is  of  copper,  with  two  eye- 
holes, or  windows  of  glass,  that  screw  on.  In  deep 
water,  where  the  pressure  is  great,  a  thick  breast- 
plate of  copper  is  used,  heavy  weights  are  hung 
from  the  back,  and  we  often  put  a  weight  of  fifteen 
pounds  on  each  foot.  That,  of  course,  is  to  keep 
the  diver  from  floating.  Three  lines  and  tubes  are 
now  generally  used.  One  tube  lets  air  into  the 
helmet ;  another  takes  it  out.  Then,  there  is  the 
telephone  wire,  and  a  signal  rope,  besides ;  so  that 
in  shallow  water  there  is  little  or  no  danger.  If 
the  tube  should  break,  or  your  suit  be  cut  in  any 
way,  there  is  a  possibility  of  drowning  before  they 
can  haul  you  to  the  surface ;  but,  luckily,  such 
accidents  seldom  happen. 

''In  1856,  I  went  down  ten  fathoms  in  rough 
water,  off  the  coast  of  Portugal,  to  a  steamer  that 
had  sunk,  nobody  knew  exactly  how.  I  landed  on 
her  foreyards,  and  then  went  down  the  shrouds, 
finally  dropping  to  the  deck.  As  I  struck  I  heard 
a  gurgling  sound,  and  had  just  time  to  signal  to  be 
hauled  up,  when  I  felt  the  water  on  my  face.  I 
had  lost  my  senses  when  I  came  up.  I  went  down 
again,  and  found  that,  in  descending  the  first  time, 
my  tube  had  passed  over  what  had  been  the  port 
side  light,  and  the  sharp-edged,  broken  glass  had 


cut  the  rubber,  letting  the  wa- 
ter in  upon  me. 
"  Then,  there's  some  danger 
from    animals ;   not  be- 
cause they  are  fierce, 
but   because   they 
are    big.     They 
^^\    may  be  caught 
acciden- 
tally in 


"  A  school  of  porpoises  came  dashing  by." 

the  ropes  or  tubing.      Some  years  ago,   with  two 
other  divers,  I  went  down  near  the  Florida  coast. 


I2O 


The  wreck,  this  time,  was  a  ship  loaded  mainly 
with  cotton.  She  had  struck  on  a  bar  during  a 
hurricane,  been  blown  completely  over,  and  then 
had  sunk  in  a  channel  inside  the  reef.  The  exact 
place  was  not  known ;  consequently,  the  only  thing 
to  do  was  to  go  down  and  hunt  for  her.  So  we 
started  in  twenty  feet  of  water,  and,  all  holding  to 
one  rope,  so  as  not  to  lose  each  other,  separated, 
gradually  walking  down  a  hill  into  deeper  water. 
'  I  think  we  had  gone  about  a  hundred  feet 
before  I  felt  a  twitch  on  one  part  of  the  line,  and 
looking  around,  I  saw  several  large  black  objects 
headed  for  us.  Before  there  was  time  to  think,  a 
school  of  porpoises  came  dashing  by.  I  stood  quite 
still,  and  probably  they  took  me  for  a  rock  or  other 
natural  object,  for  one  of  them  passed  so  close  I 
could  have  touched  it,  and  another  grazed  the  tube. 
But  my  companions  tried  another  plan  :  they  struck 
at  the  porpoises  with  their  pikes.  For  a  time  we 
were  in  a  regular  school  of  these  animals,  and  were 
afraid  the  tubes  would  be  fouled ;  but  they  left  us 
before  long,  and  we  again  took  up  our  march. 

"It  was  some  time  before  we  found  the  ship, 
and  then  she  was  so  covered  with  sand  that  we  had 
come  upon  her  bulwarks  before  we  knew  it,  think- 
ing her  a  sand  hill.  All  her  masts  had  been  car- 
ried away,  and  she  was  lying  upon  her  side,  almost 


121 

covered.  Fortunately,  the  hatches  were  battened 
down,  or  she  would  have  been  filled  with  sand. 
By  the  aid  of  crowbars,  we  soon  broke  them  off, 
and  then  we  saw  a  curious  sight.  All  the  light 
cargo  nearest  the  hatch  began  to  rise,  the  inside 
air  forcing  out  barrels,  boxes,  planks,  and  bales  of 
stuff  in  rapid  succession,  so  that  there  was  a  regu- 
lar procession  of  objects  climbing  up  from  the  ill- 
fated  ship.  These  were  caught  by  the  wreckers 
above  us  and  hauled  ashore. 

''This  place  was  a  famous  spot  for  fishes,  and 
many  were  beauties,  being  striped  with  bright 
green,  yellow,  blue,  and  red.  Others  had  long 
streamers,  and  looked  like  the  Harlequins  and 
Columbines  in  pantomimes.  I  noticed  that  there 
was  the  greatest  difference  between  them  in  their 
habits.  Some  were  shy,  and  darted  away  at  the 
slightest  motion,  while  others  seemed  to  think  me 
a  huge  fish,  and  came  near  me  as  if  curious  to  see 
what  I  was  like.  Some  swam  over  my  arms  and  let 
me  move  my  hands  toward  them  ;  but  most  were 
shy.  As  to  the  stories  of  sharks,  they  are  in  the 
main  not  true.  I  have  had  a  shark  come  within 
five  feet  of  me,  and  when  I  raised  my  arm  it  darted 
off  in  such  a  hurry  that  the  boiling  of  the  water 
nearly  threw  me  off  my  feet.  Of  course,  there  may 
be  cases  where  a  very  large  shark  might  attack  a 


122 


diver;  but  if  he  should  attack  one  wearing  the 
modern  diver's  helmet  or  armor,  I  think  the  shark 
would  have  a  hard  time  of  it ;  copper  and  glass 
would  not  make  a  very  good  mouthful. 

"  A  friend  of  mine  had  a  funny  experience,"  the 
diver  continued,  seeing  that  his  audience  were 
interested.  "  He  was  walking  along  on  a  sandy 
bottom,  when  suddenly  he  was  lifted  upward,  then 
thrown  quickly  backward,  and,  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
his  pike,  he  would  have  fallen  over.  For  a  few 
seconds  the  water  was  not  clear.  Then  he  saw 
that  the  cause  of  his  upset  was  a  big  skate  that  had 
been  lying  partly  buried  in  the  sand  —  asleep,  per- 
haps. He  had  stepped  with  his  leaden  shoes  right 
on  its  back.  I'm  sure  it  would  be  hard  to  tell 
which  was  the  most  scared. 

"  Among  the  strange  things  that  may  be  seen  by 
divers  is  the  ocean  forest,  off  the  eastern  coast. 
The  sandy  bottom  there  is  covered  with  the  hard- 
ened roots  of  great  trees,  and,  in  some  instances, 
parts  of  trunks  are  standing,  showing  that  the  coast 
there  must  have  settled,  and  that  the  sea  has  rolled 
in  over  the  land. 

"  Sometimes  we  go  down  at  night,  and  then  the 
scene  under  water  is  often  a  beautiful  sight.  Every 
jellyfish  and  living  creature  seems  to  be  ablaze  with 
light ;  your  rope  appears  to  be  on  fire,  and  every 


123 

motion  makes  the  water  glimmer.  The  crabs  and 
fishes  sparkle,  many  with  a  light  of  their  own.  So, 
you  see,  instead  of  being  a  dark  and  barren  place, 
as  the  majority  of  people  seem  to  regard  it,  the 
ocean,  even  at  the  greatest  depths,  is  probably  made 
bright  by  the  very  animals  that  most  need  the  light." 
The  boys  bade  the  diver  good-by,  feeling  glad 
that  they  did  not  have  to  share  his  perils,  but  re- 
gretting that  they  could  not  see  the  beauties  of 
which  he  had  told. 


WAR   ELEPHANTS. 

THE  back  of  an  elephant  would  hardly  be  con- 
sidered a  safe  place  in  a  modern  battle.  The  huge 
animal  would  be  riddled  by  bullets  and  round  shot, 
and,  far  from  being  an  object  of  terror,  would  be  a 
conspicuous  target  for  the  enemy. 

In  ancient  times,  long  before  the  invention  of  gun- 
powder, the  elephant  corps  was  an  important  fea- 
ture of  an  army,  and  was  relied  upon  not  only  to 
charge  upon  and  trample  down  the  opposing  beasts, 
but  to  terrify  and  put  men  to  flight;  and  that  the 
huge  animals  understood  the  object  of  the  fighting 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe.  Elephants  were 
then  plentiful ;  bands  of  thousands  were  not  uncom- 
mon ;  and  a  host  of  them,  fitted  with  rich  harness 


124 

and  trappings,  protected  by  shining  armor,  and 
bearing  towers  containing  archers  and  slingers, 
must  have  made  a  magnificent  and  imposing  spec- 
tacle. 

Exactly  when  the  elephant  was  first  used  in  war  is 
not  known  ;  but  history  tells  us  that  when  Cyrus  sent 
an  expedition  against  the  Derbices,  their  king  con- 
cealed an  army  of  elephants  in  the  forest.  A  sud- 
den charge  by  these  monsters  utterly  routed  the 
cavalry  of  Cyrus.  This  Indian  king  went  to  war 
with  ten  thousand  elephants.  All  this  happened 
four  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  the  Christian 
era ;  and  how  many  years  before  this  elephants 
were  used  in  warfare  we  can  only  surmise.  Pliny 
and  Arian  tell  us  of  elephant  armies  numbering  in 
one  case  five  hundred  thousand,  and  in  another 
seven  hundred  thousand.  These  figures  we  may 
well  doubt,  though  it  is  known  that  great  numbers 
were  employed  by  the  Indian  kings. 

Alexander  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  famous 
kings  of  history  to  tell  of  fighting  against  an  ele- 
phant host.  His  invading  army  had  reached  the 
river  Hydaspes,  and  as  the  warriors  looked  across 
they  beheld  the  opposing  army  of  King  Porus,  who 
had  not  only  chariots  and  an  enormous  army,  but 
"  the  huge  creatures  called  elephants."  These  great 
animals,  which  stood  on  the  farther  river  bank 


125 

shrieking  and  trumpeting,  filled  the  soldiers  of 
Alexander  with  terror  and  dismay. 

The  two  armies  watched  each  other  for  several 
days ;  then  Alexander  succeeded  in  crossing  the 
river,  and  the  two  forces  drew  up  in  line  of  battle. 
The  Indian  king  placed  his  elephants  in  the  front 
rank,  one  hundred  feet  apart,  thinking  in  this  way 
so  to  frighten  the  horses  of  the  foe  that  the  entire 
army  would  be  put  to  flight.  Between  the  ele- 
phants were  foot  soldiers,  and  at  the  ends  of  the 
line  were  large  elephants  bearing  strong  towers 
filled  with  armed  men.  King  Porus  himself  was 
borne  upon  an  elephant  of  unusual  height,  probably 
as  large  as  the  famous  Jumbo. 

When  King  Alexander,  who  was  a  very  brave 
and  valiant  man,  saw  the  orderly  foe,  he  said :  "  At 
last  I  have  met  with  a  danger  worthy  of  the  great- 
ness of  my  soul."  Evidently  he  had  due  respect 
for  the  elephant  soldiers  that  opposed  him. 

Alexander  moved  his  forces  to  the  attack,  and 
poured  in  a  shower  of  arrows  and  spears.  The 
elephants  stood  like  a  stone  wall,  trampling  the 
foot  soldiers  beneath  their  heavy  feet,  seizing  them 
in  their  trunks,  and  delivering  them  to  the  soldiers 
upon  their  backs,  or  tossing  them  high  in  air.  The 
elephants  were  evidently  the  main  hope  of  King 
Porus,  and,  perceiving  this,  Alexander  directed 


126 

men  armed  with  scythes  and  knives  to  attack 
them.  These  warriors  chopped  at  the  elephants' 
feet  and  tender  trunks,  until,  in  terror,  the  great 
creatures  turned  and  began  a  stampede  that  was 
disastrous  to  the  foot  soldiers  of  their  own  side,  for 
they  trampled  upon  them,  and  in  their  flight  mowed 
them  down  like  grain.  Alexander  followed  close 
after  the  elephants  upon  his  wounded  charger ;  and 
finally,  the  battle  was  lost  to  Porus  because  of  the 
elephants  themselves.  King  Porus,  being  wounded 
during  the  hurried  retreat,  desired  to  alight.  The 
driver  ordered  his  elephant  to  kneel,  whereupon  all 
the  elephants,  having  been  accustomed  to  obey  in 
concert,  did  the  same ;  and  the  soldiers  of  Alexan- 
der fell  upon  them,  and  gained  a  complete  victory. 
It  is  said  that  elephants  which  survived  this  fa- 
mous battle  were  revered  for  years  by  the  Indians, 
and  honored  much  as  are  the  veterans  of  our  wars. 
In  an  ancient  book,  the  "  Life  of  Apollonius  of 
Tyana,"  he  is  said  to  have  seen  in  a  town  of  India 
an  elephant  which  the  people  held  in  the  greatest 
respect  as  having  been  owned  by  King  Porus.  It 
was  perfumed  with  sweet  essences  and  decked  with 
garlands,  while  upon  its  tusks  were  rings  of  gold, 
inscribed  with  these  words  :  "  Alexander,  son  of 
Jupiter,  dedicates  Ajax  to  the  Sun."  The  elephant 
Ajax,  according  to  Apollonius,  was  the  old  war  ele- 


127 

phant  of  Porus  in  his  battle  with  Alexander,  and 
had  survived  and  lived  in  honorable  idleness  for 
three  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

While  Alexander  defeated  the  elephant  corps  of 
Porus,  he  saw  that  they  were  good  fighters,  and 
created  the  office  of  elephantarch,  or  chief  of  ele- 
phants ;  and  afterwards,  visiting  monarchs  found 
him  surrounded  by  the  largest  elephants,  magnifi- 
cently harnessed.  Alexander  was  proud  of  the 
huge  elephants  of  his  court,  and  fond  of  displaying 
their  intelligence ;  and  the  trainer  who  succeeded 
in  making  the  elephant  accomplish  the  most  won- 
derful deeds  was  highly  honored. 

On  one  occasion  some  elephants  were  being 
shown  to  an  eminent  general,  when  the  latter  re- 
marked that  evidently  they  could  perform  any  ser- 
vice that  a  man  could.  "  They  might  even  bridge 
a  stream,"  he  added. 

No  sooner  were  the  words  uttered  than  a  signal 
was  given,  and  the  herd  was  marched  into  a  stream 
that  rushed  by  the  camp.  The  well-trained  animals 
waded  into  the  water,  which  was  four  or  five  feet 
deep,  and  arranged  themselves  side  by  side,  some 
heading  upstream  and  others  down.  Men  now  ran 
forward  with  planks ;  some  were  placed  against 
pads  upon  the  backs  of  the  animals,  while  others 
were  continued  from  back  to  back;  and  in  a  re- 


28 


.*^' 

^^; 


markably  short  space  of  time  an  elephant  bridge 
was  ready,  over  which  the  soldiers  passed,  while  the 

huge  animals  trumpeted 
and  sent  streams  of  wa- 
ter whirling  into  the  air, 
a  remarkable  and  in- 
spiring spectacle. 
On  another  occa- 
sion one  of  the  gen- 
erals   of  the   army, 
who   had  displayed 
especial    bravery,    was 


ordered  before  the  chief, 
who      publicly      thanked 
him.     "  Even  my  elephants," 
said    one    of    the    elephant- 
archs,    "  can    distinguish    the 
hero." 
At  this  the  crowd  fell  back, 


"An  elephant  bridge." 


and  a  gorgeously  ornamented  elephant  approached, 
bearing  in  its  trunk  a  wreath  of  oak  leaves.  Walk- 
ing up  to  the  hero  of  the  hour,  it  dropped  upon 
its  knees,  placed  the  wreath  upon  the  officer's 
head,  and  then  retired  amid  the  shouts  of  the  ad- 
miring soldiers. 

Undoubtedly  the  driver  who  sat  upon   the  ani- 
mal's head  had  much  to  do  with  this  performance, 


129 

but  we  must  admit  that  the  elephant  exhibited 
wonderful  intelligence  in  carrying  out  orders  so 
exactly. 

Elephants  were  used  in  various  wars  after  the 
time  of  Alexander.  One  general  employed  sixty- 
five  to  batter  down  the  walls  of  a  city ;  but  they 
were  destroyed  by  ditches  skillfully  dug  by  the 
besieged. 

Hannibal,  Mago,  Scipio,  and  many  famous  gen- 
erals used  elephants  in  war,  relying  upon  them 
generally  to  frighten  the  foe  by  their  huge,  strange 
forms.  Some  of  the  war  elephants  presented  a 
remarkable  appearance,  as  the  tusks  of  the  huge 
animals  were  made  longer  by  metal  coverings,  or 
long  knives  with  which  to  cut  and  cleave  the 
enemy. 

In  modern  times  the  elephant  has  been  used  in 
war,  and  to-day  forms  a  corps  of  the  British  army 
in  India. 

In  the  army  of  Aurengzebe,  an  emperor  of  India, 
the  elephants  dragged  the  artillery,  lifting  the  can- 
non wheels  from  the  mud  when  mired,  and  in  some 
instances  carrying  the  guns  upon  their  backs. 

The  elephants  of  Akbar,  another  emperor  in  an 
early  period  of  the  Mogul  empire,  were  armed  after 
the  fashion  of  knights,  being  protected  by  great 
coats  of  mail  fitted  to  their  bulky  forms.  The  fol- 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  9 


1 3o 

lowing  description  of  such  armor  is  taken  from  an 
ancient  book : 

"  Five  plates  of  iron,  each  one  cubit  long  and 
four  ringers  broad,  are  joined  together  by  rings, 
and  fastened  round  the  ears  of  the  elephant  by 
four  chains,  each  an  ell  in  length ;  and  between 
these  another  chain  passes  over  the  head,  and 
across  it  are  four  iron  spikes  and  iron  knobs. 
There  are  other  chains  with  iron  spikes  and  knobs 
hung  under  the  throat  and  over  the  breast,  and 
others  fastened  to  the  trunk ;  these  are  for  orna- 
ment, and  also  to  frighten  horses." 

There  was  also  a  kind  of  steel  armor  that  covered 
the  body  of  the  elephant,  with  pieces  also  for  the  head 
and  proboscis.  One  historian  adds  that  "  swords 
are  bound  to  their  trunks,  and  daggers  are  fastened 
to  their  tusks." 

It  can  well  be  understood  that  the  approach  of 
several  hundred  elephants  covered  with  clanking 
armor,  their  tusks  bearing  daggers,  and  their  trunks 
swords,  struck  terror  to  the  foe.  The  Sultan  Ibra- 
him marched  his  elephants  against  an  army  of  Alim 
Khan,  and  utterly  put  the  men  to  flight.  They 
looked  at  the  huge  monsters  for  a  single  moment, 
then  fled  in  utter  rout. 

The  army  of  Timour,  when  on  the  plains  before 
Delhi,  was  almost  frightened  away  by  the  elephants, 


and  he  prevented  a  retreat  only  by  digging  ditches 
and  building  great  bonfires  about  his  army.  The 
force  arrayed  against  him  was  that  of  the  Sultan 
Mamood  (A.D.  1399),  who  had  a  corps  of  ele- 
phants armored  with  cuirasses,  while  upon  their 
tusks  were  poisoned  daggers.  The  towers  upon 
their  backs  bore  archers  and  slingers,  and  upon  the 
ground  by  their  sides  were  throwers  of  pitch  and 
fire.  On  the  sides  of  the  elephants  were  musi- 
cians, who  beat  bass  drums  and  made  a  terrible 
din  with  their  bells  and  cymbals.  This,  with  the 
shrieking  and  trumpeting  of  the  elephants,  might 
well  have  carried  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the 
men. 

But  Timour  by  mere  force  of  will  put  to  flight 
the  foe.  His  grandson,  a  youth  of  but  fifteen, 
wounded  a  large  elephant,  whereupon  the  men 
upon  its  back  were  thrown,  and  the  young  warrior 
drove  the  animal  into  Timour' s  camp. 

While  the  elephants  were  defeated  here  by  the 
skill  of  Timour's  attack,  the  latter  saw  their  value 
in  battle,  and  two  years  later  we  find  him  using 
elephants  in  Syria.  In  the  famous  battle  of  Aleppo, 
the  front  rank  was  protected  by  elephants,  mounted 
by  archers  and  throwers  of  Greek  fire  (a  sort  of 
burning  pitch).  Timour  had  trained  his  elephants 
to  hide  or  coil  up  their  trunks  when  attacked  at 


132 

this  tender  point,  and  this  aided  him  in  winning  a 
great  victory,  the  elephants  completely  routing  the 
enemy. 

It  was  in  processions  and  pageants  that  ele- 
phants made  the  finest  appearance,  fitted  with  mag- 
nificent trappings,  and  marching  slowly  along,  as 
if  conscious  of  their  fine  appearance0  One  of  the 
most  remarkable  displays  was  that  at  the  wedding 
of  Vizier  AH,  in  1795.  Here  twelve  hundred  ele- 
phants were  in  line,  all  richly  costumed.  Of  these, 
one  hundred  had  howdahs,  or  castles,  covered  with 
silver,  while  in  the  center  sat  the  nabob  upon  a 
very  large  elephant  whose  howdah  was  covered 
with  gold  set  with  jewels. 

The  daily  parade  of  the  elephants  at  the  court  of 
Jehanghir  was  a  wonderful  display.  The  elephants 
were  bedecked  with  precious  stones,  chains  of  gold 
and  silver,  gilt  banners  and  flags.  The  first  elephant, 
called  the  "  Lord  Elephant,"  had  the  plates  of 
his  head  and  breast  set  with  rubies  and  emeralds, 
and  as  he  passed  the  king,  he  turned,  dropped  upon 
his  knees,  and  trumpeted  loudly  —  not  in  loyal 
frame  of  mind,  exactly,  but  because  the  driver 
pricked  him  with  a  sharp  prod  just  at  the  right 
time. 

The  elephant  is  still  used  in  India  in  pageants, 
and  as  a  laborer,  especially  in  the  lumber  dis- 


133 


"  The  elephant  is  taught  to  carry  long  timbers." 

tricts,  where  it  is  taught  to  carry  long  timbers, 
and,  as  has  been  said,  it  forms  a  corps  in  the  British 
army ;  but  in  active  warfare  it  is  now  useful  only  in 
a  few  cases,  and  can  never  be  employed  so  fre- 
quently as  in  ancient  times. 


A    LIVING    UMBRELLA. 

ANY  one  who  has  drifted  along  the  rocky  shores 
of  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  coast,  with  face  near  the 
water,  must  have  noticed  the  myriads  of  jellyfishes 
passing  and  repassing  in  the  current.  They  form 


endless  lines  and  columns  in  certain  places,  and  at 
night  convert  the  ocean  depths  into  a  scene  of 
splendor  by  their  phosphorescence.  As  we  watch 
them  they  suggest  many  other 
forms.  Here  one  with  graceful 
and  elongate  train  appears  a  veri- 
table comet ;  another  seems  devoid 
of  tentacles,  and  resembles  a  crys- 
tal ball  suspended  like  a  mimic 
world  in  the  watery  space.  An- 
other and  larger  kind  is  almost 
exact  in  its  resemblance  to  a  curi- 
ously colored  umbrella  with  a 
clumsy  handle.  We  can  almost 
count  the  ribs  that  appear  to  ra- 
diate from  the  top  downward  ;  and 
here  is  even  the  lace  with  which  the  edges  of  some 
umbrellas  are  decorated.  In  fact,  so  perfect  is  the 
imitation  that  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  jellyfishes  have 
not  been  called  the  sea  umbrellas. 

Umbrellas  are  protective,  or  intended  to  be ;  and 
let  us  see  if  this  floating,  jellylike  one  is  not.  We 
steady  the  boat,  and  soon  one  comes  swimming 
slowly  up  until  its  shining  disk  is  exposed.  We 
sink  a  glass  beneath  it,  and  have  the  curious,  watery 
creature  (for  at  least  ninety-five  per  cent  of  it  is 
water)  in  the  prison.  What  a  mass  of  tentacles  ! 


A  Jellyfish. 


135 

and  how  they  twist  and  writhe,  some  lengthening 
out,  others  being  hauled  in  like  fishing  lines.  It 
is  soon  evident  that  we  have  captured  something 
else,  as,  darting  in  and  out,  rushing  wildly  here  and 
there,  are  a  number  of  little  pink-and-white  fishes, 
looking  for  all  the  world  like  animated  bits  of.  ten- 
tacle darting  about.  But  they  are  fishes,  and  in 
a  few  moments  we  see  them  hiding  up  beneath  the 
great  umbrella  —  literally  in  a  house  of  seeming 
crystal,  and  surrounded  by  tentacles.  We  might 
think  this  an  accidental  occurrence;  but  lift  an- 
other jelly,  and  one  or  more  fishes  are  seen,  as 
before,  and  we  come  to  the  conclusion  that  these 
living  umbrellas  afford  protection  to  the  little  fishes, 
which  may  be  said  to  have  living  homes. 

The  different  jellyfishes  often  have  attendants 
peculiar  to  themselves;  but  in  most  cases  the  little 
fishes  are  relatives  of  the  common  mackerel,  and, 
curiously,  they  resemble  almost  exactly  the  tints 
and  colors  of  their  protectors,  so  that  it  is  often 
difficult  to  detect  them,  and  in  many  instances,  in 
semitropical  waters,  I  have  failed  to  distinguish 
them  when  only  a  few  inches  away.  Knowing  the 
power  of  the  stings  of  these  jellies,  we  may  well 
wonder  how  the  fishes  escape ;  but  they  are  prob- 
ably aware  of  their  danger,  and  swim  well  up  under 
the  umbrella  of  their  protector. 


I36 

The  jellyfishes  are  not  all  the  delicate  forms  we 
are  most  familiar  with ;  they  sometimes  attain  gi- 
gantic proportions.  A  few  years  ago  a  fishing 
schooner  sighted  from  her  topmast,  at  night,  some- 
thing which  appeared  to  be  a  vast  submarine 
moon,  moving  slowly  along,  followed  by  a  lumi- 
nous train.  A  boat  was  sent  out  to  investigate, 
and  the  "  moon  "  was  found  to  be  a  gigantic  jellyfish, 
known  to  science  as  the  cyanea.  It  was  fully  six 
feet  across,  and  no  one  knew  how  long;  yet  large 
as  it  was,  it  grew  from  a  delicate  little  hydroid 
hardly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  One  of  these 
giants  was  observed  near  Boston,  with  a  disk  nearly 
seven  feet  across,  and  tentacles  over  one  hundred 
feet  in  length.  They,  too,  are  umbrellas,  and  afford 
protection  to  a  number  of  fishes  and  often  a  wan- 
dering sea  anemone,  as  well  as  several  crabs,  the 
entire  colony  floating  about,  and  forming  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  objects  to  be  seen  in  the 
great  ocean. 

When  near  rocky  points  in  our  northern  waters 
these  huge  jellies  are  often  objects  of  curiosity  to 
birds  and  seals.  The  latter,  probably,  have  noticed 
the  school  of  little  fishes  that  have  dashed  at  the 
jelly  and  disappeared  in  its  folds,  and,  sinking 
quietly,  the  big-eyed  seal  rises  directly  beneath  the 
great  disk,  and  stands  fairly  under  the  living  um- 


brella  itseJf,  presenting  a  comical  appearance,  star- 
ing about  in  wonder,  until  contact,  perhaps,  with 
the  tentacles  that  come  sweeping  by  suggests  that 
living  umbrellas  are  not  intended  for  the  use  of 
seals. 

In  tropical  waters  fishes  that  live  at  the  surface, 
.  as  the  gars  and  others,  often  avail  themselves  of 
the  shade  afforded  by  floating  objects  of  various 
kinds.  I  have  seen  little  fishes  collected  under  a 
sleeping  turtle,  which  was  lying  partly  submerged, 
and  thousands  of  fishes  of  all  kinds  will  congregate 
under  the  hull  of  a  vessel  lying  at  a  wharf.  All 
large,  slow -moving  fishes  have  their  corps  of  at- 
tendants. The  sharks  have  the  clinging  remora 
and  active  pilot  fishes.  The  great  sheepshead  is 
often  accompanied  by  small  fishes ;  and  whales, 
rays,  and  many  others  are  protectors  to  a  horde  of 
creatures  of  whose  existence  they  are  probably 
ignorant. 

In  some  of  these  instances  the  protector,  the 
living  umbrella,  may  be  compared  to  a  ship,  while 
the  little  followers  are  the  tenders.  This  is  shown 
in  the  beautiful  animal  known  as  the  physalia. 
Found  more  commonly  in  southern  waters,  it  is 
occasionally  washed  ashore  on  Cape  Cod,  stranded 
like  a  fairy  ship,  as  it  is.  It  floats  upon  the  sur- 
face, the  upper  portion  resembling  a  bubble  of 


138 

satin,  sometimes  as  large  as  a  man's  closed  fist. 
From  the  upper  portion  rises  a  delicate,  fluted, 
pink-tinted  sail,  which  can  be  elevated  or  lowered 
at  will,  and  when  thrown  to  the  wind  the  living 
ships  go  scudding  before  the  breeze,  often  to  be 
stranded  upon  the  coral  keys.  After  a  storm  on 
the  Florida  reef,  I  have  seen  a  row  of  them  several 
inches  high,  piled  up,  and  extending  for  some  dis- 
tance. The  keel  of  the  fairy  ship  is  represented 
by  a  mass  of  tentacles,  colored  a  brilliant  purple, 
attractive  to  various  fishes,  and  lowered  by  this 
gay  craft  as  lures.  A  sardine  sees  the  highly 
colored  line,  snaps  at  it,  and  turns  over  as  if  dead ; 
the  lassos  of  this  terrible  armament  have  killed  it 
as  would  an  electric  shock.  I  once  accidentally 
swam  over  one,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  my 
life ;  and  for  months  after  I  could  have  passed  for  a 
tattooed  man,  so  indelibly  were  the  tentacles 
stamped  into  the  flesh.  Deadly  as  are  these  stings, 
the  physalia  gives  protection  to  a  number  of 
little  fishes  allied  to  the  mackerel  family,  which 
can  be  found  hiding  up  under  its  lobes,  in  some 
way  avoiding  the  death-dealing  darts.  As  in  other 
cases  cited,  the  fishes  are  almost  exact  in  their  re- 
semblance to  the  tentacles,  a  deep  purple  or  blue, 
and  ordinarily  cannot  be  distinguished  from  them  ; 
but  when  the  physalia  is  lifted  from  the  water  by 


139 

the  sail,  which  can  be  safely  done,  they  are  seen 
moving  wildly  about,  generally  seeking  protection 
beneath  the  boat,  and  returning  to  their  protector 
as  soon  as  it  is  put  back  into  the  water.  In  all 
nature  we  find  these  strange  associations,  seem- 
ingly dangerous  to  the  animals,  yet  in  some  way 
resulting  in  benefit  to  both. 

FEATHERED    GIANTS. 

IN  studying  the  history  of  living  animals,  we  find 
that  in  many  cases  we  can  trace  their  ancestry, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  a  line  of  giants. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  period  in  the  early 
history  of  our  world  when  nearly  all  animals  at- 
tained to  a  greater  size  than  at  present.  There  were 
antelopes  as  bulky  as  the  largest  elephants ;  there 
was  an  elk  upon  whose  horns  forty  or  more  boys 
and  girls  could  have  been  carried;  the  elephants 
were  much  larger  than  they  are  now;  the  little 
lizard,  iguana,  of  South  America,  was  represented 
by  an  enormous  creature,  the  iguanodon,  twenty  feet 
or  more  in  length,  and  powerful  enough  to  tear 
down  large  trees;  the  lions,  tigers,  bears,  kanga- 
roos,—  in  fact,  nearly  all  the  animals, —  were  giants. 

We  should  hardly  expect  to  find  this  applying  to 
the  birds  ;  the  oreat  ostrich  and  others  seem  almost 


140 

giants  themselves.  Yet  during  the  days  of  the 
earliest  man  there  existed  birds  which  might  well 
be  termed  giants. 

The  home  of  some  of  these  feathered  wonders 
was  in  New  Zealand,  a  land  which  has  produced 
many  strange  and  curious  creatures,  living  and  ex- 
tinct. The  first  information  concerning  the  birds 
was  obtained  from  the  natives,  who  told  the  Eng- 
lishmen who  ventured  among  them  that  the  ancient 
Maoris  were  powerful  people,  and  the  earliest  own- 
ers of  the  New  Zealand  country.  Their  traditions 
described  them  as  great  hunters,  famous  for  their 
deeds  of  prowess  and  personal  bravery  ;  and  among 
the  dangerous  animals  which  they  pursued  and  de- 
stroyed for  the  sake  of  the  wonderful  feathers  was 
a  gigantic  bird  that  was  twice  as  high  as  the  tallest 
chief,  and  that  was  larger,  stouter,  and  stronger 
than  any  other  animal  they  had  to  cope  with.  So 
powerful,  indeed,  were  the  great  birds  that  only  the 
bravest  men  attacked  them,  and  their  feathers  were 
worn  only  by  prominent  chiefs,  the  possession  being 
a  distinction  that  corresponds  to  the  decorations 
given  to  brave  warriors  at  the  present  day. 

Not  only  were  the  feathers  valued  by  the  ancient 
Maoris,  but  the  flesh  was  eaten,  and  the  bones  made 
into  fishhooks  and  weapons  of  various  kinds.  In 
the  songs  of  the  natives  the  name  of  the  moa  often 


occurs,  and  so  much  was  heard  of  this  feathered 
giant  that  the  naturalists  thought,  possibly,  there 
might  be  some  truth  in  it,  and  immediately  began 
investigations  which  resulted  in  finding  the  remains 
of  the  great  birds. 

It  was  shown  that  about  five  hundred  years  ago 
these  birds  flourished  on  the  different  islands  in 
great  numbers,  being  finally  exterminated  by  the 
Maoris,  although  there  are  some  who  believe  that 
the  great  creatures  still  live  in  the  high  mountain 
lands  of  the  interior.  The  greater  number  of  the 
most  perfect  skeletons  were  discovered  in  caves. 
In  explanation  of  this,  the  natives  said  that,  accord- 
ing to  their  traditions,  the  country  was  consumed 
by  fire  from  the  volcano  of  Tongariro,  and  that  the 
birds,  being  thus  driven  to  the  caves,  were  there 
imprisoned.  Many,  doubtless,  died  a  natural  death, 
or  were  killed  by  a  change  in  the  climate. 

One  of  the  largest  deposits  was  found  in  a 
swamp.  Upon  the-  peat  being  removed,  many  tons 
of  the  bones  of  the  gigantic  birds  were  exposed, 
and  it  would  seem  that  here  the  unwieldy  creatures 
had  fled  to  escape  their  enemies,  either  man  or 
beast. 

In  appearance  the  moas  were  huge,  impressive 
creatures,  the  largest  being  over  thirteen  feet  in 
height,  with  rudimentary  or  no  wings ;  its  legs  ap- 


142 


peared  more  like  great  columns  for  support  rather 
than  for  locomotion,  and  the  bones  themselves  were 

larger  than  those 
of  an  ox. 

fSuch  powerful 
animals  could  not 
have  submitted 

and  while  the  Ma' 

ori  legends  hint  at 
lfi  the  danger  of  the 
chase,  we  can  well 
imagine  that  itwas 
only  after  a  fierce 
struggle  that  the 
great  game  gave 
up. 

If  in  flocks,  their  mere  rushing  along  would  have 
been  a  wonderful  sight,  and  few  animals  could 
have  withstood  the  charge.  In  some  localities 
the  eggs  were  found,  and  in  one  spot  a  number 
were  grouped  together,  suggesting  that  perhaps 
there  had  been  a  nest  of  the  huge  creatures,  and 
that  from  some  cause  they  had  been  led  to  desert  it. 
Single  eggs  have  been  found  in  the  caves,  burnt 
and  charred,  showing  that  they  formed  a  part  of 
the  food  of  the  ancient  tribes. 


( 


Moas. 


143 

Although  the  moa  eggs  are  much  larger  than 
any  known  at  the  present  day,  they  are  dwarfed  by 
the  eggs  of  a  feathered  giant  which  once  lived 
on  the  island  of  Madagascar.  Several  years  ago, 
the  captain  of  a  trading  vessel  made  his  way  up  a 
shallow  river  that  found  its  way  down  to  the  sea  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  island,  and  there  fell 
in  with  some  native  tribes  that  rarely  mingled  with 
newcomers  or  whites.  Among  the  many  curious 
objects  noticed  by  the  captain  and  his  men  about 
the  native  village  were  some  dishes  that  were  used 
to  hold  water  and  food  of  various  kinds.  They 
held  about  a  gallon  of  liquid,  and  were  round 
at  the  end,  so  that  they  had  to  be  propped  up. 
They  proved  to  be  enormous  eggshells,  capable, 
when  entire,  of  holding  over  two  gallons  of  water, 
or,  to  be  more  accurate,  equal  by  exact  measure- 
ment to  one  hundred  and  fifty  hen's  eggs. 

From  the  owners  the  captain  learned  that  the 
eggs  came  from  a  locality  not  far  distant ;  and  an 
expedition  was  formed  later,  that  resulted  in  the 
discovery  not  only  of  the  eggs,  but  of  the  remains 
of  four  distinct  kinds  of  enormous  birds,  buried  in 
vast  sand  heaps,  that  had  perhaps  blown  over  them 
and  their  nests.  Natives  were  hired,  and*  large 
trenches  were  dug  in  various  directions,  that  ex- 
posed many  of  the  bones. 


144 

In  one  spot  a  great  number  of  eggs  were  uncov- 
ered, but  they  were  mostly  broken.  Their  being 
grouped  together,  however,  pointed  to  the  belief 
that  here  was  the  nest  of  the  great  epiornis,  and 
was  probably  the  largest  bird's  nest  in  the  world. 
The  sand  was  carefully  worked  away,  and  the  great 
shells  exposed ;  but  nearly  all  were  damaged  or 
cracked,  and  the  sand  had  drifted  into  them,  mak- 
ing one  a  good  load  for  a  big  boy.  But  the  nest 
was  soon  robbed,  the  workmen  marching  off  with 
the  finds  upon  their  shoulders,  to  deposit  them  in  a 
place  of  safety.  Perfect  shells  are  extremely  rare, 
and  are  valued  at  many  hundred  dollars  apiece. 

If  the  moas  were  considered  dangerous  to  attack, 
what  must  have  been  the  aspect  of  these  huge  crea- 
tures when  at  bay?  If  they  were  hunted  by  early 
man,  we  can  well  imagine  that  strategy,  instead  of 
open  chase,  must  have  been  the  method  of  capture. 
Perhaps  pitfalls  were  dug,  and  the  great  game 
driven  into  them,  where  they  were  destroyed  by  the 
rude  stone  clubs  and  spears  of  the  natives. 

The  strange  tale  of  the  roc,  told  in  the  "  Arabian 
Nights,"  is  supposed  to  have  been  taken  from  a 
legend  of  this  gigantic  bird. 

When  the  first  discoverers  of  the  Mascarene 
Islands  investigated  that  locality,  they  found,  among 
other  strange  animals,  a  number  of  huge  birds  with- 


H5 

out  wings,  which,  however,  were  remarkable  for 
their  power  of  running.  One  was  a  rail  which 
stood  a  foot  higher  than  the  tallest  man,  being  over 
seven  feet  in  height.  The  bird  was  so  beautiful 
and  curious  that  the  sailors  followed  it  whenever  an 
opportunity  offered,  and  the  natives,  finding  that 
they  could  readily  use  them  in  barter,  also  began 
what  resulted  in  a  war  of  extermination.  The  poor 
birds  were  pursued  by  the  hunters  day  and  night, 
through  swamp  and  forest,  until  they  were  finally 
brought  to  bay,  and,  after  a  struggle,  reduced  to 
subjection. 

A  few  years  of  such  incessant  hunting  greatly 
lessened  their  numbers,  and  finally  they  were  en- 
tirely destroyed,  the  last  one  having  been  observed 
in  1694;  and  to-day  not  a  single  bone  or  feather 
remains  to  tell  the  story  of  this  giant  among  its 
kind. 

Among  the  other  curious  birds  of  this  and  other 
islands  was  the  giant  of  the  pigeons,  a  bird  as  large 
as  a  swan  —  an  immense  pigeon,  with  fluffy,  curly 
feathers,  but  incapable  of  flight.  When  Mauritius 
was  discovered,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  this  bird 
was  common,  and  was  killed  by  the  sailors  in  great 
numbers  —  by  some  in  wanton  sport,  and  by  others 
for  the  curious  stones  found  in  its  stomach.  It  was 
hunted  so  continually  that  it  soon  ceased  to  exist. 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  IO 


146 


The  last  living  one  was  seen  by  the  mate  of  the 
English  ship  Berkley  Castle,  in  June,  1681,  and 
to-day  not  a  single  specimen  of  the  great  bird  is 
known.  A  foot  in  the  British  Museum,  a  head  and 
foot  at  Oxford,  and  a  few  other  bones,  are  the  only 
relics  to  tell  the  story  of  the  existence  of  the  king 
of  the  pigeons,  the  famous  dodo. 

Many  centuries  ago,  in  France,  when  man  lived 
in  caves,  there  lived  a  gigantic  bird  called  the  gas- 
tornis,  a  great  gooselike  form  that  towered  aloft 

thirteen  or  fourteen  feet, 
and  was  a  most  power- 
ful creature.  It  prob- 
ably lived  near  the 
streams  in  marshy  spots, 
depending  upon  its  pow- 
ers of  running  to  escape 
its  enemies,  as  it  had  no 
wings.  About  the  lo- 
cality where  the  city  of 
Rheims  now  stands,  the 
remains  of  this  great 
wader  and  swimmer 
have  been  found  in  the 

Gastornis.  .        .    . 

caves,  mixed  in  among 

the  bones  of  other  animals,  as  the  great  mammoth 
and  cave  bear,  which  are  known  to  have  lived  dur- 


'47 

ing  the  time  of  man,  by  whom  they  were  undoubt- 
edly hunted  and  used  as  food. 

But  these  were  not  the  greatest  of  the  giants  of  this 
olden  time.  The  largest  of  the  wingless  birds,  as 
we  have  seen,  was  the  great  moa,  whose  plumes  were 
worn  by  the  victorious  Maori  chiefs ;  but  even  these 
had  feathered  enemies  —  enormous  eagles  or  birds 
of  prey,  as  the  harpagornis,  large  and  powerful 
enough  to  have  borne  the  largest  of  the  dinornis 
tribe  through  the  air  to  its  nest.  Surely  the  roc, 
as  it  is  pictured  by  the  old  Arabian  story-tellers 
bearing  Sinbad  away,  is  not  so  much  of  an  exag- 
geration after  all,  as,  if  the  harpagornis  could  make 
the  moa  its  prey,  it  could  easily  have  borne  away 
several  human  beings. 

Another  giant  was  a  huge  goose,  called  by  the 
naturalists  cretniornis ;  while  others,  of  less  stature, 
though  gigantic  when  compared  to  their  living  rep- 
resentatives, have  left  their  remains  in  caves  and 
various  deposits,  speaking  monuments  of  their 
greatness,  and  of  the  age  of  wonders  in  which  they 
lived. 

INSECT   FISHERS. 

"  I  WAS  fortunate  once,"  said  a  naturalist,  "  in 
witnessing  an  occurrence  which  impressed  me  as 
being  very  curious,  considering  that  the  principal  was 


148 

a  beautiful  insect,  one  of  the  darning  needles  '  which 
we  feared  when  children.  It  was  in  the  Southern 
States,  and  one  warm  summer  day,  I  had  been 
walking  downstream  for  several  hours,  whipping 
it  diligently  for  trout,  and  finally,  weary,  had  gone 
ashore  and  started  through  the  woods  to  the  place 
where  the  team  was  to  meet  me.  Half  a  mile  in,  I 
came  to  a  little  pond  hardly  twenty  rods  wide, 
which,  with  its  surroundings  of  wild  roses  and 
other  flowers,  was  so  attractive  that  I  threw  myself 
down  upon  the  bank  to  revel  in  the  scene ;  and, 
indeed,  there  was  quite  enough  to  delight  either  a 
botanist  or  a  zoologist.  On  a  half-submerged  log 
were  several  turtles  asleep  in  the  sun ;  the  clear 
water  of  the  pond  was  broken  here  and  there  by 
fish  rising,  while  birds  of  various  kinds  fluttered 
about,  singing  and  chirping  in  high  glee. 

"  While  I  was  looking  at  the  water  I  noticed  a 
large  insect  come  dashing  over  the  pond  like  a 
flash  of  light.  It  was  one  of  the  largest  of  the 
darning  needles,  with  great,  lacelike  wings,  its 
iridescent  tints  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  so  that 
it  appeared  like  a  veritable  gem  flitting  about.  It 
sailed  across  the  pond  several  times,  and  then,  to 
my  astonishment,  deliberately  dived  into  the  water 
just  as  a  kingfisher  would,  and  with  such  a  force 
that  it  nearly  disappeared,  rising  almost  instantly, 


149 


and  darting  off.  At  first  I  thought  it  had  been 
struck  by  another  insect  and  had  fallen  ;  but  in  a 
few  moments  back  it  came  and  dived  into  the  water 
again,  this  time  rising  heavily,  and  I  distinctly  saw 
that  it  held  between  its  feet  a  tiny  minnow,  which 
it  bore  away  to  a  bush  on  the  bank,  a  moment  later 
disappearing  from  view.  So  here  was  an  insect 
fisherman  —  perhaps  the  first  on  record.  I  waited 

A  Dragon  Fly. 
v 


to  see  if  it  would  not 
was  probably  sufficient 
and  I  did  not  see  it 
The  dragon  fly,  or 
as  it  is  often  called,  is 
cious  of  insects ;  but 


return  ;    but    the    fish 

to  lasf  for  some  time, 

again. 

devil's  darning  needle, 

one  of  the  most  vora- 


comparatively  few  ob- 
servers have  seen  it  dive  into  the  water  and  lift  out 
a  fish  of  perhaps  twice  its  own  weight — an  act 
which  might  be  compared  to  that  of  an  eagle  car- 
rying off  a  full-grown  man. 

The  dragon  flies  are  extremely  interesting  crea- 
tures, and  have  a  most  remarkable  make-up.    They 


are  literally  all  eyes  and  wings,  the  former,  in  some 
cases,  completely  encircling  the  head.  The  mouth 
calls  to  mind  that  of  the  grasshopper,  but  the  under 
lip  is  a  curious  organ,  in  which  the  palpi,  or  feelers, 
are  modified  so  that  they  form  saucerlike  objects 

Common  Green  Darning  Needle. 


which  almost  cover  •  the  lower  part  of  the 
face.  The  latter  is  the  head  of  a  living  arrow, 

from  which  extends  1  the  long,  slender  body, 
propelled  by  power-  •  ful,  lacelike  wings. 

The  dragon  fly  is  "  formed  for  a  continu- 
ous aerial  existence,  and  is  never  seen  walking,  but 
nearly  always  on  the  wing  in  headlong  flight,  its 
monstrous  eyes  on  the  lookout  for  mosquitoes 
and  other  game. 

The  darning  needle  is  a  fisherman  not  only  in 
its  adult  stage,  but  in  its  incomplete  or  pupal  form. 
Its  transformations  are  among  the  most  interesting 
of  all  insects,  and  are  easily  observed.  The  libel- 


lula,  when  laying,  alights  upon  a  spear  of  grass  pro- 
jecting above  the  water,  attaching  the  eggs  to  a 
part  of  the  submerged  stem,  though  some  are  not 
so  careful,  but  drop  their  eggs  into  the  water  while 
hovering  over  it.  If  the  spear  of  grass  is  examined 
after  this  operation  has  been  performed,  it  will  be 
found  that  not  only  has  the  egg  been  attached,  but 
the  insect  has  cut  a  hole  in  the  grass  and  inserted 
it  in  the  orifice,  so  that  it  is  thus  perfectly  protected. 
If  the  great-eyed  dragon  fly  is  a  curiosity,  the 
larva  is  still  more  so.  In  early  life  it  exhibits  all 
the  characteristics  of  courage  and  ferocity  that  are 
the  features  of  the  adult  form.  Generally  it  is  a 
stout-bodied  creature,  resembling  somewhat  the 
grasshopper,  lying  in  the  ooze  at  the  bottom  of 
ponds,  and  continually  foraging  for  game,  for  the 
capture  of  which  it  has  a  wonderful  organ.  Its 
powerful  legs  enable  it  to  crawl,  but  it  has  still  an- 
other method  of  propulsion,  almost  unique  in  its 
way.  The  end  of  the  intestine  opens  into  an  ori- 
fice at  the  hinder  portion  of  the  body,  the  walls  of 
which  are  perforated  with  minute  holes,  through 
which  air  that  is  taken  from  the  water  in  the  cham- 
ber passes,  and  so  permeates  the  body  ;  in  fact, 
the  insect  breathes  in  this  way.  When  all  the  air 
is  extracted  from  the  water  the  walls  contract  sud- 
denly, forcing  the  water  out  violently,  thus  pro- 


152 

pelling  the  larva  along  several  inches,  so  that 
respiration  and  locomotion  may  be  said  to  be  ac- 
complished by  the  same  act. 

When  a  prospective  victim  is  seen,  the  larva 
darts  forward,  and  from  its  head  there  appears  to 
extend  a  telescopic  apparatus  that  clutches  the 
prey  and  draws  it  back.  This  is  the  so-called  lip, 
or  mask,  which,  when  the  insect  is  at  rest,  forms  a 
broad  mask,  covering  the  jaws ;  but  at  the  moment 
of  attack  this  combination  of  jaws  is  thrust  forward, 
and  the  under  lip  is  darted  out  like  a  veritable 
grappling  iron.  The  hooks  at  the  extremity  pierce 
and  draw  the  victim  to  the  jaws,  where  it  is  torn 
in  pieces  by  the  ferocious  larva.  By  means  of 
this  armament  this  predatory  insect  creeps  upon 
small  fishes,  seizing  them  before  they  are  aware  of 
its  presence,  and,  when  among  young  trout,  doing 
great  damage.  After  passing,  some  time  in  this 
stage,  the  larva  changes  and  becomes  a  pupa,  liter- 
ally bursting  from  the  old  skin,  that  opens  along 
the  thorax,  now  showing  upon  its  back  two  little 
pads,  which  are  the  rudimentary  wings. 

When  the  time  for  the  final  change  comes,  the 
pupa  climbs  upon  some  plant,  and  approaches  the 
surface.  The  pupal  skin  bursts  open  along  the  back, 
and  from  the  shell  emerges,  limp  and  seemingly 
lifeless,  the  adult  dragon  fly.  For  several  hours 


153 

it  clings  to  the  plant,  the  warm  sun  completing  the 
transformation,  seemingly  painting  it  with  gor- 
geous colors,  and  imparting  strength  and  vigor; 
for  soon  its  wings  appear  stiff,  rigid,  and  glisten- 
ing, when,  like  a  dart,  the  newly  born  creature  is 
away,  and  its  life  in  the  sunshine  has  commenced. 
The  dragon  flies  are  of  undoubted  use  in  capturing 
other  insects.  They  prey  especially  upon  mos- 
quitoes, and  in  some  sections  are  known  as  mos- 
quito hawks.  In  Lombok,  Malay  Archipelago, 
they  are  considered  a  great  delicacy  by  the  natives, 
who  capture  the  large  species  by  attaching  a  gum 
to  a  long  pole,  so  that  when  the  insect  alights  upon 
it  its  feet  become  caught.  The  wings  are  used  as 
ornaments  in  some  countries,  and  those  which  have 
brilliant  tints  present  in  the  sunlight  a  magnificent 
appearance. 

ANIMAL   MIMICS. 

EVEN  the  most  casual  observer  must  be  im- 
pressed with  the  many  artifices  of  delicate  and 
inoffensive  animals  to  escape  their  enemies.  This 
is  illustrated  in  a  marked  degree  in  the  squids, 
from  one  of  which  comes  the  cuttlefish  bone  of 
commerce.  All  this  singular  family  have  a  chame- 
leonlike  power  of  changing  color  and  adapting  it 
to  that  of  their  surroundings ;  but  in  one,  the 


154 


Cranchia,  this  faculty  is  developed  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  The  animal  is  not  usually  over  two  inches 
in  length;  the  body  is  balloon-shaped,  the  head 

very  small,  and  the 
tentacles  extremely 
short.  The  body  is 
dotted  over  its  en- 
tire surface  with 
little  pointsof  color, 
ASciuid-  and  when  the  ani- 

mal is  alive  it  is  constantly  changing  —  now  being 
suffused  with  red,  fading  suddenly  to  yellow,  an  ar- 
ray of  tints  following  one  another  in  quick  succes- 
sion, making  it  a  most  interesting  object. 

That  this  power  serves  as  a  protection  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt ;  when  the  squid  is  swimming 
or  poising  over  sandy  bottom  its  color  is  white ; 
let  the  same  animal  now  dart  forward  by  the 
action  of  the  jet  of  water  from  its  siphon,  and  hover 
over  a  patch  of  weed,  the  spectral  form  grows 
darker,  soon  merging  into  the  prevailing  tint  of 
its  surroundings,  and  disappearing  from  the  view 
of  a  possible  enemy. 

In  this  instance  and  many  others  the  disguise  is 
not  premeditated,  the  result  being  the  effect  of  cer- 
tain colors  upon  the  color-cells. 

Many  of  the  simplest  animals  have  remarkable 


155 

devices  to  aid  in  their  protection.  Thus,  one  of 
the  marine  worms  burrows  in  the  ground,  forming 
a  long  smooth  tunnel  several  inches  into  the  mud. 
The  entrance  of  the  home  is  in  the  form  of  a  chim- 
ney, built  of  delicate  pieces  of  coral  and  glued 
together  so  that  a  perfect  piece  of  masonry  is  the 
result.  The  entrance  at  the  top  of  the  chimney 
would  easily  attract  attention,  but  over  this  the 
worm  arranges  a  door,  by  selecting  a  bit  of  marine 
weed  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  This 
it  glues  to  the  entrance  so  that  the  tip  falls  over 
and  covers  it,  having  the  appearance  of  being  the 
continuation  of  a  plant.  At  night  this  very  clever 
builder  and  dissembler  comes  out  of  its  den,  lifts 
the  trapdoor,  and  glides  to  the  surface,  where  it 
swims  about,  making  a  marvelous  display,  as  it 
possesses,  with  others,  the  power  of  emitting  a 
vivid  light,  and  gleams  in  the  water  like  a  gem  or 
mimic  electric  light  Returning,  it  lifts  the  cun- 
ningly devised  door  and  glides  in.  So  cleverly  ar- 
ranged are  these  doors,  and  so  marked  is  the 
resemblance  of  the  whole  nest  to  a  leaf,  that  the 
sharpest-eyed  collector  often  passes  them  by. 

The  sea  anemones  which  line  many  a  pool  — 
the  animal  flowers  of  the  sea  —  frequently  cover 
themselves  with  stones  and  shells  until  they  look 
as  though  a  mosaic  had  been  built  upon  their  sides. 


156 


Sea  Anemones. 


the    presence    of  the   gorgeous    flower-like    animal 
being  unsuspected. 

The  instinct  to  disguise  their  homes  is  pro- 
nounced among  certain  spiders.  One  forms  a  bur- 
row, covering  the 
hole  with  a  trap- 
door which  opens 
and  shuts  with  a 
perfect  adjustment. 
To  render  conceal- 
ment perfect,  the 
spider  collects  small 
plants  and  mosses, 
and  deposits  them 
upon  the  newly  formed  door  until  it  resembles  the 
immediate  surroundings  and  is  lost  to  view.  When 
the  spider  ascends  and  pushes  the  trap  up,  the 
miniature  forest  upon  it  is  seen  to  rise  into  the  air 
in  a  manner  surprising  to  the  observer  who  does 
not  suspect  the  cause. 

Nature  comes  to  the  rescue  of  a  multitude  of 
animals  which  are  practically  defenseless,  enabling 
them  to  assume  disguises  that  are  remarkably 
effective  in  concealing  them  from  their  enemies. 
This  is  true  of  the  animals  which  drift  about  in  the 
gulf  weed  that  forms  the  Sargasso  Sea.  The  sar- 
gassum,  as  the  weed  is  called,  is  supported  by 


157 


innumerable  bubbles,  and  constitutes  the  home 
of  many  singular  creatures  —  all  protected  by  this 
device  of  nature. 

The  most  remarkable  mimics  are  the  shell-less 
mollusks  which  crawl  over  the  weed.  Some  are  of 
the  exact  tint  of  the  sargassum  — 
a  delicate  olive  green  ;  besides  which 
they  are  covered  with  tentacles  or 
barbels  of  flesh  which  make  them 
perfect  mimics  of  the  weed.  These 
interesting  creatures  cling  to  the 
fronds  of  the  gulf  weed,  and  are 
apparently  a  portion  of  it,  defying 
the  most  active  enemies. 

Several  kinds  of  fish  find  equal 
protection  in  the  weed  mass ;  one 
in  particular,  the  antennarius,  is  a 
very  flat  fish,  about  three  or  four 
inches  in  length,  which  is  found  ly- 
ing prone  upon  the  weed  so  near  the 
surface  that  it  can  raise  its  tail  out 
of  the  water.  Nature  has  painted 
this  curious  little  creature  the  exact  tint  of  the 
weed,  often  giving  it  a  marbled  color  in  several 
shades  of  green,  so  that  it  offers  little  or  no  con- 
trast. To  supplement  this  protection,  the  outline 
of  the  fish  is  apparently  distorted  in  a  remarkable 


Shell-less  Mollusk. 


158 

way,  cut  up  into  branches  and  barbels,  so  that  the 
impression  is  conveyed  that  plants  or  bits  of  weed 
are  growing  upon  it.  So  perfect  is  this  device  of 
nature  that,  in  searching  for  the  fish,  I  have  failed 
to  see  it  at  a  distance  of  but  a  foot,  discovering  the 
dissembler  only  when  it  moved  or  raised  its  tail. 

Myriads  of  crabs  and  their  allies  roam  through 
this  floating  forest,  all  masked,  following  closely  the 
tint  or  hue  of  the  prevailing  weed.  Some  are 
dotted  with  white,  thus  imitating  the  white  in- 
crusting  bryozoans  which  cover  the  weed  in  delicate 
patches. 

So  the  entire  range  of  pelagic  or  floating  ani- 
mals might  be  followed.  The  purple  ianthina  or 
sea  snail  finds  protection  in  its  color  on  the  open 
sea.  The  delicate  fishes  found  beneath  jellyfishes 
imitate  the  tentacular  parts  of  their  host  in  pink 
and  white,  while  the  fishes  beneath  the  physalia 
are  of  the  same  tint  as  the  deadly  tentacles. 

Equally  interesting,  suggesting  the  boundless 
resources  of  nature,  are  the  animals  which  decorate 
themselves ;  as  the  crabs,  one  of  which,  commonly 
called  the  stone  crab,  is  always  found  bearing  a 
miniature  forest  upon  its  back,  becoming  in  this 
way,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  one  of  the  stones 
among  which  it  lives.  That  this  is  not  an  accident 
I  have  ascertained  by  cleaning  the  back  of  one  of 


59 


these  crabs  and  placing  it  in  an  aquarium,  where 
it  at  once  manifested  its  uneasiness  and  began 
to  redecorate  its  back.  This  was  accomplished 
by  snipping  off  bits  of  weed  with  the  biting  claw, 
pressing  each  severed 
portion  to  the  mouth, 
where  it  obtained  some 
glutinous  secretion, 
then  raising  it  over 
the  back  and  placing 
it  upon  the  shell, 
where  it  remained, 
and  ultimately  grew. 
In  two  or  three  hours 
one  of  these  crabs  fairly 
covered  itself  with  a  mimic  forest,  and  seemed  grad- 
ually to  disappear  from  view  among  the  rocks. 
The  hermit  crabs,  especially  those  in  deep  water, 
often  secure  a  disguise  by  permitting  a  sponge  to 
cover  the  shell.  In  one  instance  I  observed,  the 
shell  had  disappeared  entirely  beneath  a  mass  of 
sponge,  at  one  side  of  which  the  claws  of  the  crab 
were  seen  when  it  moved  along  carrying  its 
strange  burden.  A  hermit  crab  has  been  found 
carrying  an  anemone  upon  its  back  which  almost 
concealed  it ;  and  in  one  instance  observed  the 
rider  was  phosphorescent. 


Stone  Crab. 


i6o 


A    DOG'S   TRIP    AROUND   THE    WORLD. 

A  most  remarkable  dog  was  once  owned  by  the 
Postal  Service  clerks  of  the  United  States.  Owney, 
as  he  was  named,  appeared  at  the  Albany  Post 
Office  several  years  ago,  and  was  adopted  by  the 
clerks.  One  day  Owney  boarded  the  mail  wagon, 
which  carried  the  mail  to  the  trains,  and  on  arriving 
at  the  station,  leaped  from  it  to  the  mail  car.  In 
it  he  was  carried  to  New  York  by  the  clerk,  and 
after  being  introduced  at  the  general  office,  was 
sent  back  to  Albany. 

This  trip  apparently  developed  a  mania  for  travel- 
ing and  resulted  in  Owney's  national  reputation  as 
a  dog  traveler.  He  made  trips  all  over  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  even  going  to  Europe,  always 
under  the  auspices  of  the  mail  clerks,  and  every- 
where he  went  he  received  medals,  tags,  and 
checks,  which  accumulated  so  rapidly  that  he  was 
finally  provided  with  a  harness  and  a  bag.  He 
would  leave  the  mail  train  at  towns  and  cities  and 
visit  the  post  office,  but  in  a  few  days,  despite  the 
good  treatment  he  received,  the  mania  for  wander- 
ing would  seize  him,  and  he  would  go  to  the  station 
and  jump  into  the  first  mail  car  that  appeared  and 
travel  with  the  clerk  until  he  desired  a  change.  In 


this  way  Owney  became  well  known  in  almost  every 
city,  town,  or  village  that  boasted  postal  facilities. 

In  1895  Owney  visited  Postmaster  A.  B.  Case, 
of  Tacoma,  Washington,  having  just  returned  from 
a  trip  to  Alaska,  and  one  day  it  happened  that  he 
rode  down  to  the  wharf  of  the  Asiatic  steamer  when 
the  great  vessel  was  taking  her  cargo. 

Owney  was  evidently  much  impressed  with  her 
size  and  beauty,  and  so  plainly  expressed  a  desire 
to  go  aboard  that  it  was  determined  to  send  him 
on  a  flying  trip  around  the  world,  and  to  let  him 
break  the  record  if  possible.  So,  some  few  days 
later,  on  August  19,  1895,  h*5  friends  said  farewell 
to  Owney  as  he  walked  up  the  gangway  of  the 
good  ship  Victoria  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Steam- 
ship Company,  and  was  welcomed  by  Captain 
Panton,  whose  guest  he  was  to  be.  Owney  had 
his  credentials  in  a  traveling  bag,  and  he  carried 
also  his  blanket,  brush,  and  comb,  his  medal  harness 
for  full  dress,  and  letters  of  introduction  to  the  postal 
authorities  of  the  world.  As  the  steamer  backed 
out  from  the  dock,  hundreds  of  people  waved  their 
hands,  and  wished  Owney  a  safe  and  prosperous 
voyage ;  and  so  the  trip  began. 

Owney  was  soon  the  pet  of  the  crew,  and  after 
an  uneventful  voyage  he  arrived  at  Yokohama  on 
October  3.  Here  his  baggage  was  examined,  with 


STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  II 


1 62 

no  little  curiosity,  by  the  officials,  as  no  dignitary 
had  before  entered  Japan  who  owned  so  many 
decorations  that  he  was  obliged  to  carry  them 
about  with  him  in  a  bag !  It  was  concluded  that 
Owney  must  be  either  a  dog  of  very  high  rank,  or 
the  property  of  a  distinguished  person ;  and  an 
account  of  him  was  promptly  forwarded  for  the 
information  of  his  imperial  majesty,  the  mikado. 
A  few  days  later  an  official  waited  upon  Owney, 
and  presented  him  with  a  passport  bearing  the  seal 
of  the  mikado.  It  was  addressed  to  the  American 
dog  traveler,  and  in  very  flowery  language  ex- 
tended to  him  the  freedom  of  the  interior  country. 
There  were  some  stipulations  which,  in  all  prob- 
ability, Owney  would  have  agreed  to  had  he  made 
the  trip.  Some  were  as  follows:  "  The  bearer  is 
expressly  cautioned  to  observe  in  every  particular 
me  directions  of  the  Japanese  government  printed 
in  Japanese  characters  on  the  back  of  the  passport, 
an  English  translation  of  which  is  given  herewith  ; 
and  he  is  expected  and  required  to  conduct  himself 
in  an  orderly  and  conciliatory  manner  toward  the 
Japanese  authorities  and  people."  The  passport 
also  forbade  him  to  "attend  a  fire  on  horseback," 
warned  him  not  to  write  "on  temples,  shrines,  or 
walls,"  and  politely  requested  him  not  to  "drive 
too  fast  on  narrow  roads." 


1 63 


There  was  no  time  for  side  trips,  and,  after  meet- 
ing many  officials,  Owney  sailed  from  Yokohama, 
arriving  at  Kobe  on  October  9,  where  he  received 
medals  and  a  new 
passport  from  the 
emperor.  He  was 
at  Hagi,  October  19, 
Shanghai,  October 
26,  and  Fuchau,  Oc- 
tober 31,  where  he 
received  more  med- 
als and  was  the  sub- 
ject of  an  ovation. 
His  fame  had  pre- 
ceded him,  and  at 
the  latter  port  he 
was  invited  to  visit 
the  United  States 

Steamer        Detroit,        "An  official  presented  him  with  a  passport 
Which    was    lying    in  bearing  the  seal  of  the  mikado." 

the  harbor.  One  day  the  marine  at  the  gang- 
way of  this  fine  man-of-war  was  astonished  to  see 
a  bemedaled  shaggy  dog  come  up  the  ladder, 
wagging  his  tail  and  showing  all  the  delight  that 
a  patriotic  American  should  at  the  sight  in  foreign 
lands  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  marine  almost 
laughed  as  Owney  stepped  aboard  and  ran  up  to 


164 

the  officer  of  the  deck  as  though  he  had  known 
him  all  his  life. 

Owney  dined  in  the  mess  room,  ate  plum-duff 
and  lobscouse  before  the  mast,  and  —  I  could  not 
begin  to  tell  you  of  all  the  good  things  he  enjoyed. 
When  he  reached  Tacoma  again  he  weighed  several 
pounds  more  than  when  he  started,  and  I  am  con- 
fident that  his  trip  with  the  boys  in  blue  on  the 
cruiser  Detroit  had  something  to  do  with  it. 
When  he  bade  his  countrymen  farewell,  he  was 
decorated  with  the  ship's  ribbon,  and  he  received  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  other  officers  of  the  Asiatic 
squadron  from  Lieutenant- Commander  E.  Floyd 
of  the  Detroit. 

From  Fuchau  the  dog  sailed  to  Hongkong, 
where  he  was  unfortunately  delayed  and  prevented 
from  making  a  speed  record  around  the  world. 
He  visited  the  consulate,  made  a  round  of  visits  to 
the  rich  tea  and  silk  merchants,  and  received  many 
curious  pieces  of  Chinese  money,  which  were  strung 
to  his  collar.  From  the  Emperor  of  China  Owney 
received  a  passport  bearing  the  royal  crest  and 
dragon,  permitting  him  to  travel  in  the  country. 
But  Owney  did  not  go  beyond  the  city,  and  so 
much  red  tape  was  employed  on  his  departure  by 
the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  steamer  that  Captain 
Panton  of  the  Victoria  finally  decided  to  take  the 


dog  traveler  back  to  Kobe,  Japan,  from  which  port 
he  finally  sailed  to  New  York  as  the  guest  of 
Captain  Grant,  of  the  steamer  Port  Phillip. 

Owney  soon  knew  all  on  board,  and,  as  on  the 
Victoria,  was  a  member  of  both  starboard  and  port 
watches,  and  dined  in  the  cabin  and  before  the  mast 
with  equal  satisfaction. 

At  Singapore,  Owney  went  ashore  with  an  officer, 
to  the  wonderment  of  the  natives,  who,  noting  his 
decorations,  concluded  that  he  was  a  personage  of 
high  rank.  Some  of  the  native  dogs,  it  is  said, 
looked  upon  him  with  distrust,  and  more  than 
once  they  rushed  out  from  narrow  alleys  and 
pounced  upon  the  Yankee  dog ;  but  it  is  not  on 
record  that  Owney  was  ever  defeated.  On  No- 
vember 30,  Owney  sailed  from  Port  Said,  where  he 
put  to  flight  more  native  dogs,  and  on  the  trip 
through  the  Suez  Canal  he  attracted  no  little  at- 
tention from  the  various  vessels  and  from  postal 
authorities.  Many  of  the  clerks  gave  Owney  some 
memento. 

Finally  Algiers  was  reached,  and  the  quaint 
shipping  port  visited,  where  Turks,  Nubians,  and 
others  looked  upon  Owney  with  amazement.  They 
handled  his  decorations,  and  some,  though  perhaps 
they  did  not  understand  just  why,  fastened  to  his 
collar  medals  which  were  thus  sent  to  the  American 


1 66 

people.  On  December  13,  Owney  reached  St. 
Michaels,  the  beautiful  port  of  the  Azores,  spend- 
ing a  few  hours  there. 

The  trip  from  the  Azores  across  the  Atlantic 
was  a  rough  one ;  but  there  was  no  evidence  to 
show  that  Owney  did  not  thrive  in  all  kinds  of 
weather.  Finally  the  lookout  of  the  Port  Phillip 
sighted  land,  and  a  few  hours  later  Owney's  bag- 
gage was  being  examined  by  the  custom  house 
officers,  who  had  never  seen  so  strange  an  assort- 
ment of  trophies.  But  having  looked  at  his  cre- 
dentials, they  decided  that  the  collection  of  medals 
and  tags,  though  representing  a  large  amount  of 
metal,  was  personal  baggage,  and  so  passed  it. 

Like  all  distinguished  persons,  Owney  was  met 
by  the  reporters  and  "interviewed,"  and  from  the 
bag  of  decorations  and  letters  his  story  was  prob- 
ably obtained,  and  the  news  of  his  arrival  tele- 
graphed to  Tacoma  papers  as  follows : 

"  Owney,  the  postal  clerks'  dog,  has  arrived  at  quarantine  from 
China,  having  completed  the  circuit  of  the  globe.  The  steamer 
will  dock  to-day,  and  Captain  Grant  will  take  the  dog  to  the 
post  office,  and  start  him  on  his  journey  westward  at  once." 

As  may  be  expected,  this  announcement  created 
no  little  interest  among  the  young  people  of  Ta- 
coma, and  Owney  was  the  hero  of  the  hour. 


i67 

Owney  arrived  in  New  York  December  23,  at 
noon.  He  was  taken  immediately  to  the  post 
office,  and,  after  a  short  reception  by  his  many 
friends,  started  again  by  the  New  York  Central  for 
Tacoma,  which  he  reached  five  days  later,  having 
completed  the  circuit  of  the  globe  in  132  days  —  a 
rapid  rate  of  traveling  for  a  dog  who  attracted  so 
much  attention.  Owney  was  visited  by  hundreds, 
young  and  old,  and  so  universal  was  the  demand 
to  see  him  that  Postmaster  Case  placed  him  on 
exhibition  in  a  public  hall,  and  people,  for  miles 
around,  made  his  acquaintance. 

At  the  end  of  his  trip  Owney  had  over  two  hun- 
dred tags,  medals,  and  certificates  to  add  to  his 
collection. 


i68 


FLYING   WITHOUT   WINGS. 

ONE  of  the  most  interesting  sights  observed  in 
southern  California  waters  is  a  flock  of  flying  fishes 
in  the  air  ;  not  one  or  two,  but  often  forty  or  fifty, 
ten  feet  or  more  from  the  water,  lifted  by  the  wind 
and  whirling  away  like  quail  or  a  cloud  of  insects, 
scintillating  in  the  sunlight  —  a  startling  picture. 
The  fish  appear  to  be  flying,  but  they  are  simply 
one  variety  of  many  animals  which  apparently  fly 
without  wings.  I  have  had  these  fliers  pass  within 
a  foot  of  my  face,  and  have  known  several  persons 
who  have  been  struck  by  them  ;  but  while  the  fishes 
dash  through  the  air  and  cover  distances  of  an 
eighth  of  a  mile  out  of  water,  they  are  not  strictly 
fliers,  as  they  have  little  or  no  power  to  move  the 
wings,  as  in  legitimate  flight.  The  wings  are 
merely  enormously  developed  fins,  the  pectorals 
resembling  wings,  with  powerful  branches  or  veins, 
the  anals  being  smaller.  The  fish,  then,  has  not 
four  wings  in  the  strict  acceptation  of  the  word,  but 
four  winglike  fins  which  it  holds  firmly,  and  which 
serve  as  sails  or  parachutes,  bearing  it  up  against 
the  current  of  air  as  it  rushes  along.  In  this  way 
these  fish  soar  for  long  distances. 

In  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  there  is  a  fish  known  as 


169 


the  flying  gurnard,  which  bounds  into  the  air  when 
alarmed,  spreading  its  wide  pectoral  fins,  darting 
away  like  some  gorgeous  insect.  It  has  vivid 
colors  of  blue,  purple,  and  red,  while  its  large 
winglike  fins  sparkle 
and  gleam  in  the  sun 
as  though  they  were 
inlaid  with  gems.  This 
flier  possesses  a  singu- 
lar armor,  its  head  be- 
ing incased  in  bone,  so 
that  a  blow  from  the 

fish  in  its  headlong  flight  through  the  air  is  liable 
to  result  seriously.  There  are  instances  recorded 
of  men  being  knocked  down  and  stunned  by  them. 
Certain  fishes  have  the  faculty  of  propelling 
themselves  into  and  through  the  air  in  other  ways. 
Such  is  the  large  gar  of  the  South  Pacific,  which, 
when  alarmed,  bounds  from  the  water  by  a  twist 
of  its  tail  and  goes  whizzing  away,  a  living  arrow 
and  a  dangerous  one.  When  the  ship  Challenger 
made  her  famous  trip  around  the  world,  the  natu- 
ralists on  board  had  many  opportunities  to  observe 
this  flier  without  wings.  One  struck  the  cap  of  an 
officer,  and  instances  came  to  the  notice  of  the 
naturalists  of  fishes  which  had  struck  natives  who 
were  wading  in  the  water. 


The  most  perfect  fliers  without  wings  are  found 
among  the  mammals  and  reptiles.  One  of  the  liz- 
ards has  a  peculiar  frill  connecting  its  limbs ;  this 
frill  is  braced  by  a  series  of  false  ribs.  When  the 
lizard  wishes  to  escape  from  some  enemy,  it  darts 
into  the  air  and  soars  away  downward,  upheld  for  a 
long  distance  by  the  side  wings,  which  are  boomed 
out  by  the  false  ribs.  The  little  animal  now  resem- 
bles a  large  dragon  fly,  its  rich  metallic  colors  flash- 
ing in  the  sunlight.  On  it  rushes,  making  a  grace- 
ful curve,  rising  and  grasping  the  trunk  of  a  tree 
when  it  seems  to  disappear,  so  marvelous  is  the 
protective  resemblance.  If  still  followed  by  some 
bird  enemy,  it  will  repeat  the  action,  continually 
dipping  down  and  rising,  ultimately  escaping. 

The  flying  squirrel  well  illustrates  this  curious 
faculty  of  soaring  like  a  bird.  Its  fore  and  hind 
limbs  are  connected  by  a  web  of  flesh  which  hangs 
in  a  wrinkle  when  the  animal  is  at  rest,  and  would 
not  be  noticed ;  but  the  moment  the  little  creature 
darts  into  the  air  and  moves  away  the  white  para- 
chutelike  arrangement  is  seen.  It  catches  the 
wind  or  rushing  air  as  the  squirrel  bears  down, 
and  seems  to  expand  and  extend  outward,  bearing 
the  little  flier  safely  on,  enabling  it  to  cross  from 
tree  to  tree  and  reach  other  points  of  vantage. 

The  flying  lemur  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  re- 


markable  examples  of  this  provision  of  nature.  Here 
not  only  are  the  limbs  connected  by  a  web,  but  the 
tail  and  hind  legs  are  booms  for  fleshy,  fur-lined 
sails,  so  that  the  lemur,  with  its  young  clinging  to 
it,  leaps  boldly  into  the  air,  swooping  down  with 
great  velocity,  ris- 
ing again  to  grasp 
a  branch  or  trunk, 
to  climb  to  the  top- 
most bough  and 
launch  itself  again 
into  space.  In  this 
way  the  lemur 
will,  if  followed 
persistently,  cover 
miles  in  a  forest, 
and,  as  a  rule,  es- 
cape its  enemies. 
The  graceful  ease 
with  \vhich  they 
make  these  long  flights  is  remarkable.  The  ani- 
mal has  but  to  extend  its  limbs,  as  one  intuitively 
does  in  diving  or  swimming,  and  plunge  down 
into  space. 

The  islands  of  Sumatra  and  Borneo  have  pro- 
duced some  remarkable  fliers  of  this  kind.  A  party 
of  explorers,  in  passing  through  a  forest  one  day, 


Flying  Lemurs. 


or  THK 

-UNIVERSITY 


172 

saw  what  they  supposed  to  be  a  bird  swooping 
down  from  a  limb.  A  native  was  sent  in  pursuit  of 
it,  but  the  creature  rose  at  the  end  of  its  flight  and 
alighted  upon  a  tree,  up  which  it  seemed  to  crawl, 
then  flung  itself  into  the  air  again.  It  was  finally 
captured,  and  proved  to  be  a  large  tree  toad.  In- 
stead of  wings  it  had  large  elastic  webs  between  its 
toes,  which  caught  the  air  as  it  dashed  away,  buoy- 
ing it  up  and  acting  as  parachutes.  The  feet  of  the 
animal  resembled  those  of  a  gull  or  a  duck,  so  far 
as  the  webs  were  concerned,  the  four  little  para- 
chutes offering  surface  sufficient  to  bear  up  the 
animal  from  tree  to  tree. 

A  spider  with  a  diminutive  flying  or  soaring  ap- 
paratus has  been  discovered.  On  each  side  of  the 
abdomen  extends  a  triangular  lobe  which  catches 
the  wind  when  the  spider  leaps  into  the  air,  aiding 
its  flight  to  some  extent,  and  well  illustrating  this 
remarkable  method  of  flying  without  wings. 

THE  DRAGON  THAT  SWALLOWED  THE  MOON. 

THERE  was  unusual  excitement  at  the  great  mis- 
sion of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  and  for  several  days 
natives  had  been  pouring  in  from  the  outlying 
country.  A  fiesta  had  been  announced  by  the 
Spanish  troops,  an  ox  was  roasting  in  a  huge 


173 

trench,  and  one  night,  by  the  light  of  the  full  moon, 
a  fight  between  a  bear  and  a  bull  was  to  take  place 
— an  event  which  was  looked  forward  to  with  in- 
terest, not  only  by  the  natives  but  by  the  Spanish 
soldiers. 

It  was  still  early  in  the  afternoon,  yet  the  tiled  roofs 
of  the  old  mission  were  crowded  with  spectators 
who  had  come  early  to  secure  good  seats  and  had 
covered  the  tiles  with  dry  hides  upon  which  to  rest. 
The  long  line  of  arches,  the  picturesque  belfry,  the 
shapely  dome  of  the  church,  all  caught  the  red  rays 
of  the  setting  sun  and  formed  a  charming  picture, 
while  away  from  the  mission  on  every  side  ex- 
tended green  hills  and  fields  of  fragrant  flowers, 
telling  of  the  winter  in  southern  California.  On 
the  cement  walk  in  front  of  the  mission  stood  a 
group  of  Spanish  officers,  and  among  them  a  young 
boy  with  long  golden  hair,  a  wide-brimmed  sombrero, 
and  enormous  spurs,  after  the  fashion  of  the  time. 

"  It's  a  cruel  and  brutal  sport,"  he  said,  "and  if  I 
were  you,  captain,  I  would  stop  it." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,  my  boy,"  replied  the 
officer,  smiling;  "but  it  would  be  very  poor  policy 
to  attempt  to  interfere  with  the  sport,  especially  as 
we  are  so  short  of  men.  We  are  obliged  to  do 
something  for  the  pleasure  of  the  people,  brutal  as 
it  is." 


"  But  if  you  gave  the  order,  captain,  they 
wouldn't  dare  to  go  on,"  continued  the  boy. 

Here  the  officer  was  called  away,  and  the  major- 
domo,  a  big,  red-faced  Spaniard,  turning  to  the 


'•v 


"  Don  Antonio  soon  reached  the  large  hut  of  the  chief." 

boy,  said :  "  Listen,  Don  Antonio ;  do  you  really 
wish  to  break  up  the  bull-and-bear  fight  ?  " 

"Why,  certainly  I  do." 

"  Then,"  said  the  major-domo,  "  do  as  I  tell  you  ; " 
and  he  whispered  something  in  the  boy's  ear  that 
made  him  laugh  heartily.  He  then  ran  to  his 
pony,  which  an  Indian  had  been  holding,  leaped 


175 

upon  its  back,  and  rode  away  in  the  direction  of 
the  tule  huts  of  the  Indians,  down  by  the  little 
river. 

Don  Antonio,  as  the  man  called  him,  soon 
reached  the  large  hut  of  the  chief,  whom  he  found 
lying  under  a  ramada  of  brush  eating  grapes,  while 
near  at  hand  the  women  crushed  acorns  in  mortars 
of  stone. 

The  chief  handed  him  a  bunch  of  grapes,  and 
motioned  him  to  take  a  seat  on  the  hide ;  but  the 
boy  would  not  sit  down,  and  said  in  Spanish : 
"  You  are  going  to  have  the  bull-and-bear  fight  to- 
night, Captain  Joe  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Indian,  in  the  same  language. 
"  You  come? " 

"No,"  said  Don  Antonio,  "it's  too  cruel;  it  isn't 
right ;  it  hurts  the  bear." 

The  chief  looked  amazed  at  first,  then  laughed, 
translating  the  boy's  remark  for  the  benefit  of  the 
squaws,  who  joined  in  the  merriment. 

"There  will  be  no  fight  to-night,"  said  Don 
Antonio,  with  a  great  deal  of  dignity. 

"Why  no?"  asked  the  Indian. 

"  Because,"  said  the  boy,  swinging  into  his  sad- 
dle, "there  will  be  no  moon." 

"  Very  big  moon  to-night,"  said  the  Indian, 
"best  moon  of  all  the  month." 


1 76 

"  Captain  Joe/'  said  the  boy,  very  seriously,  "did 
you  ever  see  the  dragon  that  chases  the  moon  ?  " 

"  I  hear  my  father  speak  of  him,"  replied  the 
Indian. 

"Well,  he  is  going  to  catch  the  moon  to-night," 
said  the  boy,  as  he  touched  his  spurs  to  his  horse 
and  rode  away. 

The  sun  sank  over  the  hills,  and  the  old  build- 
ings of  mud  and  adobe  became  radiant  in  its  parting 
light ;  groups  of  Indians  and  soldiers  were  moving 
in  the  direction  of  the  inclosure,  many  dragging 
hides  to  sit  on ;  and  finally,  when  the  moon  began 
to  rise,  the  great  arena  was  crowded  with  dusky 
forms  eager  for  the  fray. 

Amid  shouts  and  cries  a  large  and  ugly  bull  was 
pushed  from  a  corral  into  the  ring,  then  a  big  box 
was  hauled  in  and  the  end  pulled  up,  releasing  a 
grizzly  bear  which  had  been  roped  in  the  moun- 
tains the  week  before  and  dragged  down  to  the 
mission. 

Excitement  was  aroused  to  the  highest  pitch, 
and  a  hush  had  fallen  over  the  assemblage,  when 
there  rose  a  shrill  voice,  crying  loudly  in  Spanish, 
so  that  all  heard:  "The  dragon  has  caught  the 
moon;"  then  louder  like  an  echo:  "The  dragon  is 
swallowing  the  moon." 

Every  eye  was  raised  to  the  heavens,  and,  to  the 


surprise  of  the  assembled  natives,  there  was  a  de- 
cided notch  in  the  face  of  the  full  moon.  As  they 
looked,  it  grew  larger  and  larger,  while  a  strange, 
mysterious  light  began  to  steal  over  everything. 
At  first  there  was  a  low  murmur  from  the  natives ; 
then,  as  the  spot  grew  larger  and  the  moon  was 
evidently  disappearing  before  their  eyes,  the  great 
audience  rose,  and  shouts  and  cries  rent  the  air. 
The  men  who  had  brought  hides  held  them  aloft 
and  beat  them  with  clubs,  shrieking  an  accompani- 
ment, while  the  women  joined  in  a  weird  moaning. 
Men  upon  the  ground  threw  sand  at  the  moon, 
pelted  it  with  stones,  hoping  in  this  way  to  drive 
the  dragon  away ;  but  as  the  moon  grew  smaller 
and  smaller,  they  were  seized  with  a  panic  and  ran 
out  of  the  quadrangle,  and  hid  themselves  in  their 
tule  huts  or  the  deep  brush  on  the  river  side,  where 
they  remained  until  the  moon  appeared  again, 
when  they  slowly  ventured  out  and  gathered  about 
the  roasted  ox,  wondering  that  the  world  had  not 
come  to  an  end,  as  the  dragon  had  surely  swal- 
lowed the  moon. 

"  There  is  only  one  man  in  the  post,"  said  the 
captain  to  a  group  of  officers,  "  who  is  sufficiently 
well  posted  in  astronomy  to  know  that  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  moon  was  due  to-night ;  and  Captain 
Joe  tells  me  that  Don  Antonio  is  a  remarkable 

STO.  AN.  LIFE  —  12 


1 78 

*  medicine,'  as  he  foretold  the  appearance  of  the 
dragon." 

"There  is  a  curious  feature  about  this  legend," 
said  the  major-domo,  who  was  sitting  in  the  corner 
with  Don  Antonio  standing  by  him,  and  who, 
laughing,  seemed  desirous  of  changing  the  subject. 
"The  Chinese  have  a  similar  belief.  They  too 
have  a  dragon  which  is  ever  chasing  the  moon, 
sometimes  catching  it ;  in  fact,  the  eclipse  is  their 
dragon.  Now,  if  these  Indians  have  the  same  be- 
lief, and  try  to  frighten  the  dragon  away  in  the  same 
manner,  does  it  not  suggest  that  the  Indians  of  the 
Pacific  coast  may  have  been  descended  from  a  remote 
Chinese  ancestor  who  was  blown  away  from  China 
and  wrecked  with  his  junk  on  these  shores  ages 
ago?" 

"  What  say  you,  Don  Antonio  ?  "  said  the  captain. 
"  Surely  you  have  an  opinion  on  this  subject." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  replied  the 
boy;  "but  I  do  know  the  Indians  made  so  much 
noise  with  their  hides  and  sand-throwing  that  they 
stampeded  the  bear  and  bull,  and  they  cannot  be 
found  ! " 

HOW   ANIMALS   TALK. 

MY  interest  in  the  language  of  the  lower  animals 
was  perhaps  first  aroused  by  a  vocal  appeal  which 


179 


a  fish  made  to  me  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  I  was 
fishing  on  the  edge  of  a  coral  reef,  where  the  rich 
olive  of  the  coral  heads  gradually  gave  way  to  the 
blue  waters  of  the  channel,  when  I  hooked  and 
brought  up  a  fish  about  eight  inches  in  length,  of 
an  old-gold  color,  marked  with  scarlet  lines  and 
spots  —  a  most  attractive  little  creature.  As  I  took 
it  in  my  hand  to  remove  the  hook,  I 
was  attracted  by  its  eyes,  which  were 
lustrous,  with  yellow  and  red  tints, 
but  especially  as  they  seemed  to 
roll  up  at  me  in  a  supplicating 
way.  Then  it  began  to  talk  to 
me,  after  the  fashion  of  its  kind, 
uttering  at  first  a  plaintive  grunt, 
then  a  series  of  croaks 
which  seemed  to  rise  in 
inflection,  then  die  grad- 
ually away.  Then  it 
would  croak,  almost  bark, 
until  finally  I  tossed  the 
fish  back  into  its  native  element,  fairly  conquered 
by  the  sounds  it  uttered.  The  little  fish  was  a 
member  of  a  large  family  (Htzmuloit)  in  that  vicin- 
ity, nearly  all  of  whom  were  grunters  or  croakers, 
and  remarkable  for  the  variety  of  sounds  they  pro- 
duced. 


i8o 

A  large  number  of  fishes  utter  sounds.  I  have 
heard  the  common  dogfish  utter  a  curious  sound 
that  has  been  construed  into  a  bark.  The  eel  makes 
a  low,  croaking  noise,  said  to  be  musical.  The 
little  sea  horse  utters  a  single  note  so  far  as  known, 
while  the  gizzard  shad  is  a  "  talker ;  "  but  none  of 
these  equal  the  little  haemulon  that  grunted  and 
barked  its  way  to  liberty  in  the  Mexican  Gulf. 

The  sounds  made  by  fishes  are  uttered  in  various 
ways,  and  many,  I  think,  are  involuntary.  Some 
are  produced  by  the  action  of  the  pneumatic  duct 
and  swimming  bladder,  while  in  other  fishes  the 
lips  and  intermaxillary  bones  have  something  to 
do  with  the  sound.  In  certain  fishes,  as  Zeus  and 
Trigla,  there  is  a  low,  murmuring  sound  produced 
by  the  swimming  bladder,  which  has  an  opening 
and  closing  diaphragm.  The  catfish  utters  sounds 
by  forcing  air  from  the  swimming  bladder  into  the 
esophagus.  In  the  sea  horse  referred  to,  the  note 
is  produced  by  the  vibrations  of  small  voluntary 
muscles. 

The  loudest  sound-producer  is  the  drumfish, 
which  in  some  way  utters  drumming  notes  that 
have  startled  seafarers  off  the  New  Jersey  coast. 
In  China,  on  one  occasion,  a  sound  was  heard  by 
the  officers  and  crew  of  an  English  man-of-war, 
coming  up  from  the  water  like  the  twanging  of  a 


great  harp,  and  was  referred  by  some  to  a  school 
of  fishes  and  by  others  to  certain  shells. 

I  believe  nearly  all  animals  have  a  language  or 
method  of  communication,  though  not  always  vocal. 
The  sensory  organs  of  fishes  are  well  developed, 
and  they  can  track  one  another  by  scent  when  out 
of  sight.  In  the  deep  sea  the  phosphorescent  lights 
of  fishes  are  signals  which  may  have  some  signifi- 
cance in  communication.  Some  fishes  have  two 
or  more  lights  of  different  colors,  like  a  steamboat 
or  ship.  This  is  true  of  the  Malacosteus  niger. 
On  one  side  it  has  a  golden  light;  on  the  other  the 
light  is  green. 

The  ordinary  domestic  fowl  affords  the  most 
positive  evidence  of  the  possession  of  a  language 
that  is  understood.  There  are  many  decidedly 
different  calls,  which,  if  taken  down  in  a  phono- 
graph and  repeated  in  a  henhouse  or  yard,  would 
produce  interesting  results.  I  need  but  mention  a 
few  calls  to  illustrate  the  range  of  the  sounds  in  the 
domestic  fowl.  On  a  warm  day,  when  hens  are 
released  from  their  coop,  when  their  minds  are  un- 
disturbed and  all  nature  looks  bright  and  inviting, 
they  sing  as  they  feed  —  a  continuous  repetition  of 
11  kerr-kerr-kerr,"  with  various  modulations.  The 
rooster  never  utters  it,  nor  the  mother  hen.  It  is 
the  song  of  the  happy-go-lucky  hen. 


Now  let  a  hawk  appear  in  the  sky.  An  entirely 
different  sound  is  heard.  The  hen  stops,  stretches  her 
head  upward,  and,  with  the  cock,  utters  a  decided 
note  of  warning  in  a  high  falsetto — "K-a-r-r-r-r-e!" 
And  if  the  enemy  still  comes  on,  it  is  repeated,  and 
every  bird  in  the  vicinity  lowers  its  head  and  runs 
to  cover.  The  sound  says  in  the  hen  language : 
"  An  enemy  is  coming  !  Run  !  "  And  run  they  do, 
the  "k-a-r-r-r-r-e"  being  discontinued  only  when 
all  danger  is  past.  Note  the  joyous  call  of  the  hen 
that  has  laid  an  egg.  "  Cut-cut  ca-da-cut !  "  comes 
oft  repeated  from  the  henhouse,  and  other  envious 
hens  are  informed  beyond  any  question  or  mistake 
that  Mrs.  Gallus  has  laid  an  egg. 

Now,  when  these  eggs  are  hatched  we  have  other 
and  maternal  notes.  There  is  a  deep,  monotonous 
"  cluck-cluck  !  "  That  is  a  warning  to  others  and  a 
gentle  admonition  to  the  chicks  to  remain  near,  but 
it  is  not  a  call.  Note  the  difference  when  the 
mother  or  the  proud  cock  finds  a  worm.  The  cock 
appears  to  be  greatly  excited,  and  he  pretends  to 
peck  at  it,  making  the  guileless  hens  believe  that  he 
is  about  to  devour  the  bonne  bouche  himself;  all  the 
time  he  is  saying  "  Cut,  cut,  cut"  —  "  Come,  come, 
come " —  rapidly,  which  causes  the  hens  to  run 
pellmell  in  his  direction,  to  find,  in  many  instances, 
nothing,  it  being  merely  a  device  to  call  the  flock 


away  from  some  rival.  But  in  the  case  of  the  mo- 
ther the  little  ones  always  find  some  tidbit  which 
she  has  discovered. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  reproduce  the  baby  talk  of 
the  old  hen  to  her  chicks,  but  it  exists  in  great  va- 
riety, and  is  suggestive  of  tenderness,  affection,  and 
solicitude.     When  the  hen  has  her  brood 
beneath  her  ample  folds  she  often  ut- 
ters a  sound  like  "C-r-a-w-z-z-e," 
of  half  warning  and   content- 
ment.    And   when  an   in- 
truder   enters    the    coop 
after  dark  she  utters  a 
high,  prolonged  whis- 
tling     note      like 
"W-h-o-o-e," 
softly       repeated, 
indicative  of  won- 
der     and      slight 
alarm. 

If  now  a  fox,  coyote,  or  other  enemy  seize  her, 
how  quickly  comes  an  entirely  different  cry  —  a 
scream  of  terror  and  alarm,  "  C-r-a-i-a-i-o-u,"  re- 
peated again  and  again,  and  so  full  of  meaning  that 
the  owner,  some  distance  away,  reaches  for  his  shot- 
gun and  answers  the  signal  of  distress. 

Among  the  song  birds  there  are  many  such  notes. 


1 84 

Especially  have  I  noticed  it  in  a  family  of  mocking 
birds  that  have  nested  in  a  peach  tree  not  far  from 
my  window.  The  cry  of  alarm  given  by  the  mother 
when  I  took  out  one  of  the  nestlings  was  a  loud 
sucking,  clucking  note,  that  brought  not  only  the 
mate,  but  an  entire  flock  of  blackbirds  that  frequented 
an  adjoining  orange  grove,  all  gathering  around 
me,  uttering  loud  and  discordant  notes,  menacing 
me  from  every  point  of  vantage,  and  suggesting 
that  the  mocking  bird  dialect  of  the  peach  tree  was 
understood  by  the  blackbirds  of  the  orange  grove 
tribe. 

Undoubtedly  all  birds  have  a  more  or  less  well- 
defined  means  of  communication,  though  differing. 
A  pelican  hissed  in  asthmatic  tones  at  me.  My 
owls  had  a  limited  and  hissing  vocabulary,  but 
looked  volumes  through  their  expressive  eyes.  The 
humming  bird  has  a  dainty  song  and  delicate  notes 
which  I  hear  among  the  nasturtiums — "Chit,  chit, 
chit,"  and  other  notes;  and  the  purring  love  note 
of  the  pigeon  is  well  known. 

Among  the  higher  animals  there  is  often  a  range 
of  sound  that  does  duty  as  a  language.  The  cats 
have  a  wide  range,  from  the  plaintive  call  for  admit- 
tance to  the  purr  of  content  and  the  snarl  of  rage 
and  its  varied  modifications. 

The  whale  has  a  voice,  if  we  may  believe  the  old 


writers.  One  is  called  the  "caaing"  whale,  from 
its  alleged  voice,  and  no  less  a  naturalist  than  La- 
cepede  quotes  Duhamel  as  an  authority  regarding 
the  rorqual,  and  "  the  lamentable  and  terrible  cries  " 
it  was  supposed  to  utter. 

The  dogs  combine  with  voice,  movements  of  the 
hair,  tail,  eyes,  and  ears  in  speaking.  The  low 
growl  is  accompanied  with  rigidity  of  the  body,  the 
canine  teeth  gleam  brightly  as  a  warning,  and  the 
entire  appearance  speaks  of  rage.  How  opposite 
is  its  appearance  when  greeting  its  master  and 
fawning  at  his  feet. 

The  snake  can  hardly  be  said  to  possess  lan- 
guage, but  that  it  can  call  its  young  has  been 
demonstrated.  Colonel  Nicholas  Pike,  a  former 
consul  to  Mauritius,  told  me  that  he  had  heard  a 
garter  snake  call  its  young  as  he  approached  by  a 
"  peculiar  noise,"  at  which  they  wriggled  toward 
her  and  ran  down  her  throat  for  safety  —  a  common 
trick  among  various  snakes,  despite  vigorous  state- 
ments to  the  contrary.  Colonel  Pike  observed  this 
on  several  occasions;  so  it  is  evident  the  mother 
snake  has  a  vocal  call  that  is  understood  by  its 
young. 

Who  can  doubt  that  the  strange  noises  made  by 
insects  have  not  some  meaning  understood  by 
them  —  the  song  of  the  locust,  the  shrill  note  of 


i86 

the  katydid,  and  the  chirp  of  the  cricket.  These 
sounds  are  not  vocal,  but  instrumental.  The  grass- 
hopper fiddles  to  his  mate,  and  the  cricket  stridu- 
lates  his  song,  while  the  locust  drums.  The  noise 
of  the  grasshopper  is  made  by  rubbing  the  thighs 
against  the  fore  wing.  The  former  is  serrated  for 
the  purpose,  and  under  the  glass  resembles  a  saw. 
In  the  locusts  the  base  of  the  anterior  wing  is  trans- 
parent, forming  a  drum  with  which  the  males  do 
their  talking,  the  various  species  uttering  different 
sounds,  which,  it  is  said,  differ  day  and  night. 
When  the  katydid  utters  its  call  the  lips  are  silent, 
but  there  is  a  vigorous  rubbing  of  the  inner  surface 
of  the  hind  legs  against  the  outer  surface  of  the 
front  wings,  while  the  male  cricket  elevates  its  fore 
wing  and  rubs  it  against  the  hind  pair. 

What  a  fiddling  and  chirping  there  is  on  summer 
nights,  or  drumming  on  the  warm  days  when  the 
cicada  and  its  friends  come  out.  If  these  are  not 
calls,  sounds  with  meaning,  then  nature  has  for  once 
provided  something  useless. 

Some  of  the  butterflies  utter  a  clicking  sound. 
Beetles  have  remarkable  odors  by  which  they  dis- 
tinguish one  another,  and  no  one  can  watch  ants 
without  being  convinced  that  they  have  a  means  of 
communication  known  only  to  themselves.  I  have 
provided  an  ant  with  food  too  large  to  be  carried 


i87 


off,  when  it  would  return  to  its  home  and  soon  ap- 
pear with  two  others,  and  the  trio  would  remove  it. 
Did  not  the  ant  tell  its 
good    fortune    and    ask 
for  aid  ?    Ants  are  often 
seen  facing  one  another 
in  close  proximity  and 
touching  one   another 
with  their  antennae,  presum- 
ably exchanging  ideas. 

The  elephant  has  an  interest- 
ing series  of  sounds  or  noises, 
which  it  utters  on  various  occa- 
sions, and  which  undoubtedly 
constitute  its  language.  I  was 
impressed  with  this  when  attending  a  private  view 
of  Jumbo  given  to  a  number  of  professional  men  in 
New  York,  when  the  keeper  made  the  huge  animal 
exercise  his  voice.  A  shrill  cry,  uttered  through  the 
trunk,  indicated  rage.  An  elephant  has  been  heard 
to  warn  another  elephant  by  a  low  sound  resem- 
bling "prut,"  or  a  gentle  twittering,  while  wild 
elephants  utter  a  sound  like  hammering  on  a  cask. 
When  the  keeper  prodded  Jumbo,  or  touched  him 
with  the  goad,  the  great  beast  uttered  a  penetrating 
squeak,  which  seemed  to  be  made  inside  the  trunk, 
and  was  ear-piercing.  He  showed  his  pleasure  by 


The  trio  would  remove  it." 


1 88 

low  purring,  like  a  cat,  the  sound  being  audible  to 
the  driver  alone.  Rage  was  expressed  by  a  rum- 
bling in  the  throat,  and  fear  by  a  reverberating  roar. 
Suspicion  is  often  shown  among  wild  elephants  by 
a  tapping  upon  the  ground,  and  there  are  various 
other  sounds  and  signals  which  show  that  the  ele- 
phant has  a  language  of  its  own. 

Certain  shells  utter  singular  sounds,  accidental, 
perhaps,  but  in  some  instances  so  sharp  that 
they  attract  widespread  attention.  Some  travelers 
were  passing  from  the  promontory  of  Salsette  to 
Sewree,  in  Bombay,  when  they  were  amazed  at 
hearing  a  long-protracted  booming  sound  like  the 
notes  of  a  gigantic  harp,  or  a  pitch  pipe.  At  first 
it  was  believed  to  come  from  the  shore,  and  some 
of  the  party  were  convinced  that  some  one  was 
playing  upon  a  musical  instrument ;  but  stopping 
the  boat,  they  found  that  it  was  coming  from  all 
around  them,  and  was  supposed  to  proceed  from  a 
little  shell  common  in  the  vicinity. 

It  may  be  assumed  that  nearly  all  animals  have 
a  language  of  sound,  sign,  or  odor  which  serves 
them  well. 

ANIMAL    MOUND    BUILDERS. 

SOME  years  ago  a  sea  captain  who  was  trading 
in  the  Celebes  Islands  received,  as  he  was  about 


1 89 

to  sail,  a  basket  which  the  messenger  said  contained 
a  few  eggs  which  he  wished  delivered  to  a  natural- 
ist at  the  next  port.  The  skipper  placed  the  eggs 
in  his  cabin  for  safety,  and  thought  no  more  about 
them  until  one  morning  he  heard  a  noise  in  the 
basket,  and,  to  his  amazement,  saw  one  of  the  eggs 
break  open  and  its  occupant  fly  across  the  cabin. 

Later  he  learned  that  the  bird  was  the  maleo,  a 
pheasantlike  creature  that  deposits  its  eggs  in  the 
volcanic  sands  of  the  beach,  allowing  the  sun  to 
hatch  them.  The  young  birds  dig  their  way  out, 
and  are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves  from  birth, 
and  can  fly  immediately  to  a  limited  distance. 

Closely  related  to  the  maleo  is  a  group  of  birds 
which  can  be  very  properly  termed  the  mound 
builders  of  bird  life.  They  are  the  megapodes  of 
New  Guinea  and  Australia,  birds  that  use  incuba- 
tors to  hatch  their  eggs.  There  are  a  number  of 
species,  but  in  general  they  resemble  small  turkeys 
with  very  large  feet,  and  are  found  in  the  brush 
near  the  shore  or  beach. 

When  the  breeding  season  arrives,  both  sexes 
select  a  suitable  place  and  proceed  to  build  a 
mound  of  grass  and  vegetable  matter.  This  is 
accomplished  by  the  birds  taking  the  material  in 
their  large  and  powerful  claws  and  hurling  it  back- 
ward. A  large  mound  is  the  result,  which,  when 


190 

used  year  after  year,  often  assumes  striking  pro- 
portions. 

As  an  example,  some  naturalists  who  were  travel- 
ing on  the  Island  of  Nogo,  in  Endeavor  Straits, 
were  attracted  by  the  accounts  of  the  natives  of  a 
bird  that  made  mountains  in  which  to  hide  its  eggs 
from  enemies.  On  offering  to  reward  the  natives, 
the  travelers  were  taken  to  the  mound  of  a  mega- 
pode,  from  which  the  guides  triumphantly  dug  out 
several  eggs.  The  mound  was,  if  not  a  mountain, 
a  small  hill,  and  measured  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  circumference,  and  at  one  end  was  fourteen 
feet  in  height,  sloping  in  one  place  twenty-four  feet 
to  the  level  of  the  ground,  which  was  scraped  bare 
in  the  vicinity.  Another  observed  was  twenty-five 
feet  in  length  and  five  feet  high. 

These  mounds  are  formed  of  vegetable  matter, 
interspersed  here  and  there  with  fine  gravel,  de- 
cayed wood,  and  leaves,  and  are  artificial  incubators. 
The  birds  dig  a  hole  in  the  top,  and  deposit  the  eggs 
about  six  feet  from  the  surface ;  the  eggs  are  then  cov- 
ered up  and  left  to  hatch  by  the  heat  generated  in 
the  mass,  whereupon  the  young  scramble  out. 

The  Nicobar  megapode  constructs  a  similar 
mound,  while  the  talegallus  of  Australia  is  equally 
remarkable  as  a  mound  builder.  In  this  instance, 
several  females  use  the  same  nest,  and  as  many  as 


a  basketful  of  eggs  have  been  taken  from  a  single 
mound.  This  bird  is  nearly  as  large  as  a  turkey, 
and  resembles  it. 

Among  the  birds  there  are  a  number  of  mound 
builders.  The  lyre  bird,  so  remarkable  for  its  ven- 
triloquistic  powers,  forms  a 
singular  mound  of  sticks 
and  brush.  Upon  one  oc- 
casion, several  naturalists 
visited  the  small  islands  on 
the  Bahama  Banks,  and 
came  upon  a  singular  set- 
tlement of  mounds.  The  lat- 
ter were  about  thirty  inches 
across,  and  from  one  to 
three  feet  high,  and  resem- 
bled stools  or  seats  rising 
from  the  mud.  They  were 
the  moundlike  nests  of  the 
flamingo. 

A  little  bird  found  deep 
in  the  heart  of  Borneo,  called 
the  gardener  bird,  erects  an 
apparently  perfect  mound, 
three  or  four  feet  high,  which,  wonderful  to  relate,  is 
hollow.  .  The  bird  is  but  little  larger  than  a  robin, 
and  builds  this  mound  of  green  twigs  simply  as  a 


Lyre  Bird. 


192 

pleasure  house,  its  eggs  being  deposited  in  a  nest 
not  far  distant. 

In  traveling  over  the  prairies  of  Illinois  several 
years  ago,  I  observed  singular  mounds  here  and 
there  in  what  was  comparatively  dry  land.  So 
numerous  were  they  that  they  made  the  surround- 
ing country  appear  as  though  billows  were  passing 
over  it,  giving  it  an  undulating  surface.  Upon  in- 
vestigation I  found  that  the  mound  builders  were 
little  crayfish  that  penetrated  the  soil  in  every  di- 
rection from  the  neighboring  brooks,  the  mounds 
being  startling  evidences  of  their  industry. 

Very  remarkable  are  the  moundlike  structures 
of  lamprey  eels.  One  observed  in  the  Saco  River 
was  fifteen  feet  in  length  and  three  feet  in  height, 
and  was  formecl  of  stones.  In  removing  the  stones 
the  eels  attached  their  suckerlike  mouths  to  them, 
and,  rising  with  a  wriggling  motion  from  the  bot- 
tom, allowed  the  current  of  the  stream  to  carry  them 
along  as  far  as  it  would  before  they  dropped ;  then 
the  upward  wriggling  motion  was  repeated,  until 
finally  the  stone  was  placed  where  desired.  Among 
the  material  carried  downstream  in  this  manner 
was  a  portion  of  a  brick  that  took  the  united  efforts 
of  two  large  eels,  which  held  themselves  upright  in 
the  water  as  they  were  carried  on  by  the  current. 

In    my   walks    and    drives    through    the    foothill 


193 

country  of  southern  California,  I  have  frequently 
seen  a  curious  and  interesting  mound  builder.  The 
first  mound  that  attracted  my  attention  was  a  mass 
of  brush  piled  up  about  the  trunk  of  a  small  tree, 
standing-  perhaps  three  feet  from  the  ground.  It 
was  so  interwoven  and  interlaced  that  only  with 
difficulty  could  I  pull  it  apart,  the  short  twigs  hav- 
ing in  some  way  been  wound  in  and  out  so  closely 
that  the  heap  was  not  only  an  impregnable  fortress, 
but  rain-  and  weatherproof. 

Not  knowing  exactly  to  what  member  of  the 
animal  kingdom  the  mound  belonged,  I  retired  a 
few  feet,  and  soon  saw  the  owner  —  a  large, lustrous- 
eyed  wood  rat,  that 
watched  me  sharply 
from  its  point  of  van- 
tage,  at  the  slightest 
movement  dodging 
back.  I  had  never 
seen  an  interior  de- 
scribed, so  I  began 
to  demolish  the  nest,  Wood  Rat  and  Nest- 

and  labored  long  and  hard  before  I  had  laid  it 
open. 

The  upper  portion  contained  a  room  or  apart- 
ment lined  with  fine  moss  and  the  bark  of  trees, 
and  thoroughly  protected  from  the  rain.  There 

STO.  AN.  LIFE —  13 


i94 

were  other  apartments  or  rooms,  some  stuffed  with 
seeds,  corncobs,  and  pieces  of  cloth,  probably  picked 
up  in  the  vicinity  of  a  neighboring  ranch  house. 
The  whole  mass  was  honeycombed  with  tunnels, 
so  that  it  was  an  impossibility  to  catch  one  of 
the  mound  builders  napping ;  and  when  I  finally 
removed  the  nest,  I  found  that  one  of  the  pas- 
sages led  into  the  ground  and  radiated  in  various 
directions. 

Several  species  of  these  interesting  little  crea- 
tures are  known,  some  living  in  Florida,  where  I 
have  seen  them  among  the  palmetto  leaves. 

Many  of  the  insects  can  be  termed  mound  build- 
ers, forming  heaps  of  clay  and  earth,  and  in  vari- 
ous branches  of  the  animal  kingdom  we  find  these 
curious  resemblances  to  the  work  of  the  human 
mound  builders. 

THE    HOME    OF   A    FISH. 

ONCE,  while  leading  his  regiment  on  a  long  march 
through  the  Indian  country,  General  Custer,  who 
was  at  the  head  of  the  column,  made  a  slight  detour 
of  a  few  feet,  the  long  line  of  horses  and  men  of 
course  following  suit. 

A  movement  that  was  apparently  without  reason 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  soldiers,  who,  when 


195 

they  came  to  the  spot  indicated  by  the  change  in 
the  line,  looked  around  in  search  of  the  cause.  It 
was  only  the  nest  of  a  meadow  lark,  containing 
several  little  half-feathered  birds,  and,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  every  man,  as  he  marched  by  and  glanced 
down  at  the  nest,  received  an  impressive  and  en- 
during lesson  in  humanity.  We  are,  as  a  rule,  too 
lawless  in  our  dealings  with  the  lower  animals,  and 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  assume  that  they  know  very 
much  more  than  we  give  them  credit  for,  and  suffer 
proportionately. 

Very  little  is  known  about  the  home  life  of  fishes. 
Some  are  migratory, — wanderers  in  the  bed  of  the 
ocean, — as  the  mackerel,  dogfish,  and  the  allies  of 
the  former,  constituting  the  Arabs  of  the  sea,  or  re- 
sembling the  people  who  go  South  in  the  winter, 
returning  to  their  homes  in  summer.  In  tropical 
waters  fishes  live  in  certain  areas  to  a  great  extent, 
and  I  have  seen  the  same  ones  about  a  certain 
wreck  for  years.  They  are  very  much  influenced 
by  the  weather.  When  it  is  rough  and  the  surface 
is  ruffled  by  the  wind  they  lie  low  near  the  bottom ; 
but  when  the  wind  dies  away  and  the  water  is  as 
clear  as  glass,  they  rise  to  the  surface  to  bask  in  the 
sunshine,  often  leaping  from  the  water,  showing  de- 
light in  a  bright,  beautiful  day  as  we  do. 

Fishes  make  their   homes   in    various  localities. 


196 

Thus  I  have  known  some  to  live  between  two  piles 
of  an  old  wharf,  where  they  could  always  be  seen 
except  during  pilgrimages  for  food.  Others  lived 
in  a  bunch  of  coral,  another  family  in  a  coral  head, 
some  under  a  certain  clump  of  seaweed,  and  from 
these  points  they  rarely  strayed  to  any  great 
distance. 

Some  of  the  fishes  not  only  have  restricted  areas 
in  which  to  live,  but  form  nests  quite  as  complicated 
as  those  of  some  birds.  Perhaps  the  most  famil- 
iar example  is  the  stickleback  —  the  curious  spiny 
little  guardian  of  many  of  our  shores.  There  are  a 
number  of  kinds  of  sticklebacks,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  are  nest  builders. 

A  familiar  one  is  the  four-spined  variety  of  this 
country.  Strange  to  relate,  the  mother  fish  takes 
very  little  interest  in  the  home,  the  male  being  the 
builder.  The  nest  is  placed  in  various  positions ; 
sometimes  it  is  on  the  bottom,  again  it  hangs  pen- 
dent from  some  twig  —  a  marine  hammock  —  or  is 
fastened  in  the  crotch  of  a  submerged  branch.  The 
nest  is  formed  of  the  refuse  of  the  bottom  ;  shreds 
of  weed,  bits  of  material  of  all  kinds  that  are  soft 
and  pliable  and  can  be  easily  molded  into  the  re- 
quired shape.  If  the  home  is  to  be  suspended,  the 
first  timbers,  if  so  we  may  term  them,  are  hung 
across  a  limb  and  then  wound  in  and  out  as  deftly 


i97 


as  a  bird  would  do,  until  finally  we  see  a  collection 
of  material  oval  in  shape  and  half  as  large  as  a 
tennis  ball,  but  very  often  much  smaller. 

But  how  is  it  held  together  ?  If  we  had  watched 
the  little  builder  carefully  we  should  have  seen  that, 
during  the  building 
process,  the  fish 
apparently  rubbed 
itself  against  the 
sides  of  the  nest 
every  minute  or  two, 
often  passing  en- 
tirely around  it;  and 
if  we  were  able  at  this 
time  to  examine  it,  we 
should  see,  stretching  from 
point  to  point,  a  delicate  thread, 
apparently  of  silk.  These  cords 
bind  the  nest  together,  and  are  stickleback's  Nest. 
taken  from  a  little  pore  on  the  under  surface  of 
the  fish,  which  explains  the  movements  of  the 
little  builder  in  pressing  against  the  nest.  When 
all  is  complete  we  have  what  a  ball  of  yarn  might 
resemble  after  it  had  been  in  the  water  for  months. 
Now  comes  the  final  work.  The  home  has  been 
built  and  the  inside  left  until  the  last.  The  fish, 
which  is  shaped  like  a  wedge,  dives  at  the  nest,  butt- 


I9B 

ing  and  striking  with  its  bodkinlike  little  body, 
finally  by  mere  force  of  strength  pushing  its  way 
through  the  nest,  converting  it  from  a  bunch  of 
refuse  into  an  object  which  might  be  compared  to 
a  napkin  ring,  having  a  door  or  opening  entirely 
through  it.  Finally  the  female  deposits  the  eggs, 
which  are  held  in  place  by  the  weed,  and  in  due 
time  the  young  sticklebacks  appear.  The  mother 
deserts  the  nest  as  soon  as  the  eggs  are  deposited, 
and  the  entire  duty  devolves  upon  the  father,  who 
now  mounts  guard  with  a  ferocious  air,  and  makes 
onslaughts  upon  all  who  venture  near.  His  favor- 
ite position  is  in  the  nest,  his  head  projecting  from 
one  side  and  his  tail  from  the  other.  Here  he  poises, 
and  with  his  fins  keeps  a  current  of  water  flowing 
over  the  eggs,  thus  preventing  the  growth  of  fungus 
upon  them.  As  the  little  fishes  appear,  the  efforts 
of  the  parent  are  redoubled,  and  I  have  observed 
one  draw  several  little  wanderers  into  his  mouth 
and  shoot  them  violently  back  into  the  nest.  But 
like  other  little  ones,  they  are  prone  to  stray  from 
home,  and  some  defy  the  vigilance  of  the  guardian, 
and  the  nest  is  soon  deserted. 

Some  fishes  have  a  floating  home,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  being  the  paradise  fish  of  Asiatic 
streams.  In  appearance  the  fish  is  a  most  fantastic 
creature  with  long  top  and  bottom  fins,  resembling 


i99 


plumes   more  than   fins,   and   calling  to   mind    the 
so-called  angel  fishes  of  the  tropical  waters. 

I  once  observed  a  paradise  fish  in  the  act  of 
making  its  nest.  My  attention  was  first  attracted 
by  its  movements.  It  was  evidently  laboring  under 
some  extraordinary  excitement,  swimming  rapidly 
to  and  fro,  and  when 
passing  its  companion 
in  the  tank  opening  its 
gill  covers  so  widely 
that  the  red  gills  were 
visible.  Finally  the  lit- 
tle creature  rose  to  the 
surface,  and  with  an  au- 
dible sound  inhaled  air, 
then  sank  again,  and 
allowed  the  air  to  es- 
cape in  bubbles  that 
rose  upward  and  re- 
tained their  place.  The 
act  of  inhaling  air  was  repeated  until  the  bub- 
bles accumulated  to  such  an  extent  that  in  half 
an  hour  they  formed  a  raft,  somewhat  resembling 
that  of  the  beautiful  marine  snail,  ianthina,  and 
almost  as  large  as  a  silver  half-dollar. 

This  was  the  nest  of  the  paradise  fish,  in  many 
instances  made  thicker  and  larger,  each  bubble  be- 


Nest  of  the  Paradise  Fish. 


200 

ing  a  buoy  enveloped  in  a  mucous  envelope  taken 
from  the  fish's  mouth. 

Amid  the  bubbles  of  this  gleaming  raft  the  eggs 
are  deposited  and  held  until  the  young  are  hatched, 
the  soft  portions  of  their  home  forming  their  first 
food.  Such  a  nest  adrift  upon  the  waters  can 
hardly  be  called  a  home  in  our  acceptation  of  the 
term,  yet  it  is  the  home  of  hundreds  of  little  paradise 
fishes. 

Another  floating  nest  which  it  has  been  my  good 
fortune  to  see  is  that  of  the  little  fish  antennarius,  a 
long  name  given  to  a  very  short  and  peculiar  fish 
that  lives  in  the  Sargasso  Sea,  in  the  Gulf  Stream, 
and  almost  invariably  floats  with  the  sargassum  or 
weed  at  the  surface. 

The  nest  of  the  antennarius  is  sargassum,  col 
lected  and  bound  up  into  a  ball,  sometimes  as  large 
as  a  Dutch  cheese.  The  fronds  and  leaves  are  held 
together  just  as  in  the  case  of  the  stickleback's  nest, 
the  fish  taking  a  secretion  from  its  body,  which 
appears  to  harden  on  contact  with  the  water,  and 
constitutes  strong  bands.  The  eggs  are  not  placed 
in  the  nest,  but  are  fastened  to  the  various  parts, 
resembling  little  white  shot  all  over  the  surface. 
When  the  young  appear  they  find  protection  in  the 
ball,  and  their  first  food  is  found  on  the  delicate 
plants  and  animals  that  grow  there.  I  have  found 


2OI 

these  little  wanderers  in  the  Gulf  Stream  off  Cuba 
in  great  numbers,  every  large  patch  of  floating 
weed  repaying  a  visit,  and  producing  not  only  the 
fish,  but  a  large  variety  of  animal  forms,  all  pro- 
tected by  their  wonderful  resemblance  to  the  weed. 

That  a  fish  could  build  a  nest  sufficiently  large 
to  stop  a  boat  would  seem  incredible ;  yet  when 
rowing  along  in  a  little  bay  among  the  Thousand 
Islands,  my  boat  grounded  upon  such  a  nest,  that 
had  been  built  up  from  the  bottom  to  within  less 
than  a  foot  of  the  surface. 

The  nest  belonged  to  the  chub,  and  was  made 
of  small  stones  and  pebbles  brought  one  by  one 
from  the  surrounding  bottom  and  heaped  up. 
Thousands  of  pieces  were  used  in  some  of  these 
nests,  which  were  five  or  six  feet  across,  three  or  four 
feet  in  height,  and  must  have  weighed  over  half  a 
ton.  The  nest  is  a  stone  castle,  to  some  extent 
conical  in  form,  and  on  its  surface  the  eggs  of  not 
one,  but  several  of  the  fish,  are  dropped,  finding 
protection  in  the  crevices  from  the  catfish  and  other 
kidnapers  and  egg  eaters  of  the  river.  Here  the 
young  are  hatched,  finding  security  until  they  are 
large  enough  to  stray  away. 

The  large  size  of  these  nests  shows  that  they  are 
the  work  of  years,  and  are  continually  used  season 
after  season.  I  searched  the  bottom  for  many  feet 


2O2 


around  some  of  them,  but  no  pebbles  were  to  be 
found,  showing  that  the  little  builders  had  brought 
their  material  from  some  distance,  and  probably 
added  to  it  year  after  year. 


DIPODOMYS. 

THE  home  of  Dipodomys  was  on  the 
slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains, 
where  they  reach  up  from  the  San  Gabriel  Valley, 
and  a  more  beautiful  place  could  hardly  be  imagined. 
It  was  in  the   month   of  February,   and   not  a 
mile  away,  on  the  mountains,  great  banks  of  snow 
gleamed  brightly  in  the  sunlight,  and  the  tops  of 
huge   firs  could  be  seen  bowed  with   snow ;    yet 


203 

about  the  home  of  Dipodomys,  which  was  a  bur- 
row in  the  ground,  there  spread  away  a  wealth  of 
flowers  of  such  intense  golden  hue  that  it  was  said 
in  former  days  the  sailors  who  saw  it  from  far* 
away  on  the  ocean  called  the  spot  the  ".land  of 
fire."  The  color  came  from  the  wild  poppy,  which 
fairly  covered  the  fields,  winding  away  in  great 
rivers  of  gold  —  a  strange  contrast  to  the  snow- 
banks so  near  at  hand. 

The  home  of  Dipodomys  was  just  beneath  a 
cluster  or  clump  of  these  brilliant  poppies,  and  as 
he  lay,  perhaps  half  asleep,  the  bees  and  butterflies 
fluttered  and  buzzed  about  his  door,  and  richly 
colored  beetles  climbed  into  the  poppies  late  in 
the  afternoon  to  be  shut  up  for  the  night. 

The  story  of  these  days  was  in  the  main  lost  to 
Dipodomys,  as  he  rarely  ventured  forth  between 
sunrise  and  sunset.  It  was  when  the  great  shadows 
came  creeping  out  of  the  canyons,  and  the  mountains 
were  lost  in  the  purple  haze,  that  his  fierce,  be- 
whiskered  face  would  appear  at  the  mouth  of  his 
burrow,  and  with  a  leap  he  would  bound  into  the 
field  of  flowers. 

It  was  at  such  a  time  that  Dipodomys  and  his 
future  owner  met.  Something  jumped  into  the  air, 
again  and  again,  and  by  rare  good  fortune  fell 
upon  a  patch  of  sand,  where  it  was  caught  with- 


2O4 

out  difficulty,  and,  proving  to  be  Dipodomys,  was 
carried  into  the  house  and  examined  by  many 
curious  eyes. 

Imagine  a  kangaroo  about  seven  inches  in 
length,  with  a  head  more  like  a  squirrel's ;  great 
lustrous  eyes  admirably  adapted  for  seeing  at 
night ;  a  long  tail,  heavily  bushed  at  its  end ;  a 
trim  little  creature,  of  a  pale  yellowish-brown  hue 
above  and  white  below ;  an  animal  that  could 
stand  on  its  hind  legs  and  tail  and  walk  about  to 
a  limited  extent.  Imagine  such  a  creature,  and 
you  have  Dipodomys  as  he  was  found  among  the 
poppy  beds. 

At  first  the  new  pet  was  wild,  and  made  vigorous 
attempts  at  escape  from  the  little  room  that  was 
his  prison,  but  finally  a  companion  was  trapped, 
and  the  pair  became  very  tame  and  a  source  of 
never-ending  pleasure. 

It  was  soon  discovered  that  Dipodomys  was  a 
seed  eater,  and  that  he  had  two  little  storehouses 
for  grain,  which  he  carried  about.  These  were 
fur-lined  pouches,  and  were  on  the  outside  of  the 
mouth,  one  on  each  side.  When  Dipodomys  found 
a  supply  of  food  his  first  object  was  to  fill  the 
pouches  for  a  future  meal.  This  he  accomplished 
by  using  his  handlike  paws  and  tossing  the  seeds 
into  the  pouches  —  a  feat  performed  with  remark- 


205 


able  celerity  :  so  rapidly,  in  fact,  that  the  eye  could 
not  follow  his  movements. 

The  interesting  pair  slept  in  a  little  box,  but  had 
the  run  of  a  small  room,  and  soon  became  quite 
fearless.  Their  motions  reminded  one  of  the 
kangaroo,  as  the  long  hind  legs  were  used  to 
propel  them  in  their  leaps.  The  tail  was  an  im- 
portant member,  being  employed  with  the  legs  as 
a  tripod  upon  which  they  kept  themselves  upright. 

One  day  while  their  owner  sat  watching  them 
hop  about,  there  evidently  arose  a  difference  of 
opinion,  and  to  his  amazement  both  little  hoppers 
rose  to  their  feet  and  stood  upright  upon  the  very 
tips  of  their  toes,  the  tail  touching  the  floor  and 
serving  as  a  rest.  For  a  few 
moments  they  eyed  each  other 
very  sharply,  moving  for- 
ward and  back;  then  a  mimic 
boxing  match  began,  the 
two  facing  combatants 
striking  each  other  very 
much  as  boys  are  prone 
to  do,  and  so  rapidly 
that  only  the  soft  sound 

c    ^i         11  111  "Then  a  boxing  match  began." 

of  the  blows  could   be 

heard.     They  did  not  attempt  to  use  their  teeth, 

and  certainly  little  harm  was  done  with  their  paws. 


2O6 

Standing  so  erect,  their  handlike  paws  flying,  their 
enormous  mustaches  vibrating,  they  presented  a 
most  ludicrous  appearance. 

The  breach  was  soon  made  up,  for  their  owner 
provided  them  with  seeds,  and  the  two  began  to 
fill  their  pouches.  When  the  latter  were  full  they 
would  hop  over  to  some  dark  corner  and  empty 
them,  then  hurry  back  with  an  air  of  perfect  in- 
nocence regarding  any  previous  supply. 

To  test  the  speed  of  the  little  creatures  one  was 
released  on  a  sandy  flat.  It  immediately  bent 
down,  touching  the  tips  of  its  slender  fore  paws  to 
the  ground,  then  sprang  forward,  clearing  at  least 
three  feet  and  a  half;  then  another  spring  and 
another,  moving  so  rapidly  that  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty its  owner  caught  up  with  it. 

When  these  little  animals  slept,  the  head  was 
dropped  so  that  the  nose  touched  the  ground,  and, 
coiled  up  as  round  as  a  ball,  they  would  sleep  away 
half  the  time. 

Dipodomys  was  one  of  several  species  very  sim- 
ilar in  general  appearance  found  in  the  Southwest. 
In  some  localities  they  are  called  pocket  mice  or 
rats,  in  others  kangaroo  rats ;  in  the  first  instance 
because  of  the  curious  hair-lined  external  pockets 
which  they  have,  and  in  the  second  on  account  of 
their  jumping  powers. 


207 

The  near  relations  of  the  family  are  equally  in- 
teresting, and  are  famous  jumpers.  One,  the  zapus, 
looks  very  much  like  a  mouse,  but  has  long  power- 
ful hind  legs  with  which  it  makes  marvelous  leaps, 
clearing  from  seven  to  ten  feet,  and  flying  along  so 
that  its  capture  is  almost  impossible.  It  makes  a 
most  interesting  pet,  but  owing  to  its  jumping  hab- 
its it  is  difficult  to  control.  A  zapus  owned  by  a 
lady  was  kept  in  a  room,  and  one  day  in  a  single 
leap  it  flew  through  the  window  from  the  middle  of 
the  apartment,  landing  in  the  garden,  and  making 
its  escape. 

The  zapus  is  a  winter  sleeper.  When  the  cold 
weather  comes  it  descends  into  a  burrow  that  it 
has  made,  and  at  the  bottom,  two  or  three  feet 
from  the  surface,  coils  up  in  a  nest  of  leaves  and 
passes  the  time  in  a  state  of  hibernation,  fairly 
sleeping  the  winter  away  —  a  habit  shared  by 
some  bears  and  the  snakes  and  lizards  of  northern 
countries. 

A  cousin  of  these,  the  jerboa,  is  known  in  South 
Africa  as  the  jumping  hare,  and  is  the  largest  of  the 
group,  attaining  the  size  of  a  small  rabbit.  The 
jerboa  lives  in  colonies.  When  leaping  along  it 
presents  a  remarkable  appearance,  its  motion  hav- 
ing been  compared  to  flying.  A  jerboa  has  been 
known  to  leap  over  a  horse  and  rider,  clearing 


208 

twenty-five  or  thirty  feet.  On  returning  to  the 
ground  they  barely  touch  the  feet,  bounding  again 
into  the  air,  so  that  they  resemble  a  bird  swooping 
down  and  up  again. 

When  observed  unawares  they  present  a  laugh- 
able appearance  on  account  of  their  upright  posi- 
tion, the  long  kangaroolike  legs  enabling  them  to 
take  an  almost  perpendicular  stand,  so  that  they 
resemble  little  men  moving  about.  They  have  the 
same  method  of  fighting  as  Dipodomys,  striking  at 
each  other  with  their  claws. 

AN   OCEAN   SWORDSMAN. 

"  SHIP'S  a-leak,  sir."  The  speaker  was  the  sec- 
ond mate  of  a  large  ship  outbound  from  a  Chinese 
port.  The  well  had  been  sounded  that  morning 
as  usual,  and  a  foot  of  water  found  in  the  hold, 
and  the  leak,  as  the  ship  had  just  been  docked, 
was  a  mystery. 

The  cargo  was  tea,  silk,  and  other  valuable 
goods,  so  the  captain,  after  vainly  trying  to  dis- 
cover the  cause  of  the  trouble,  ordered  the  ship 
about.  A  few  days  later  she  was  "hove  down" 
in  port,  and  near  the  keel  was  found  a  hole  about 
two  inches  in  diameter,  through  which  the  water 
had  poured.  The  hole  was  evidently  made  from 


2O9 

the  outside,  and  extended  through  sheathing  and 
planking.  There  were  only  two  animals  capable 
of  inflicting  such  an  injury:  one  was  the  swordfish, 
and  the  other  a  member  of  the  whale  tribe  —  the  nar- 
whal ;  besides, 
it  seemedhardly 
credible  that  ei- 
therof  these  ani- 
mals could  have 
pulled  its  sword 
out  after  strik-  %^ 

ing  such  a  blow. 

The  sailors  de-  Swordfish. 

cided  that  the  swordfish  was  the  attacking  party,  and 
upon  the  return  of  the  ship  to  England  the  com- 
pany that  owned  the  Dreadnaught  sued  the  insur- 
ance company  for  damages,  and  the  swordfish  made 
its  first  appearance  in  court,  represented  by  Mr. 
Frank  Buckland,  the  naturalist,  Professor  Owen, 
and  several  others.  The  case  was  one  of  great 
interest,  and  for  the  first  time  the  general  public 
obtained  an  idea  of  the  force  wielded  by  this  swords- 
man of  the  ocean.  Mr.  Buckland,  when  asked  to 
give  an  idea  of  the  power  of  a  blow  from  one  of 
these  fishes,  replied  that  he  considered  it  equal  to 
nine  or  ten  blows  given  with  a  hammer  weighing 
thirty  pounds.  His  testimony  convicted  the  sword- 

STO.  AN.  LIFE — 14 


2IO 

fish  and  obtained  damages  for  the  ship,  and  ever 
since  the  animal  has  been  a  marine  risk. 

The  force  with  which  these  fishes  strike  a  vessel 
can  hardly  be  imagined  unless  the  wound  is  seen  ; 
and  the  occurrence  is  far  more  common  than  is  gen- 
erally supposed.  Hardly  a  month  passes  but  a 
vessel  or  boat  is  struck  by  a  swordfish  in  some  part 
of  the  world.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the 
fishes  mistake  vessels  for  some  enemy  and  rush 
headlong  at  them  with  the  terrific  speed  they  are 
known  to  possess.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable 
instance  of  their  power  is  shown  in  the  attack  upon 
the  ship  Fortune,  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts. 
When  she  returned  from  the  Pacific  she  was  put  in 
the  dry  dock,  when  the  stump  of  a  sword  was  ob- 
served projecting  from  her  hull.  Examination 
showed  that  the  fish  must  have  struck  the  Fortune 
with  the  force  of  a  ball  from  an  old-fashioned  twenty- 
four  pounder,  as  the  weapon  had  pierced  first  the  cop- 
per sheathing,  then  an  inch-board  undersheathing, 
then  a  three-inch  plank  of  hard  wood,  passing  into 
a  solid  white  oak  timber  a  foot  in  thickness,  then 
through  a  two  and  a  half  inch  hard  oak  ceiling, 
finally  entering  the  head  of  a  barrel  of  oil,  the  tip 
of  the  sword  touching  the  fluid,  but  not  allowing  a 
drop  to  escape.  In  its  struggles  the  monster  had 
broken  the  weapon  and  escaped,  probably  to  die 
of  starvation. 


21  I 


In  large  vessels  the  shock  of  contact  is  not  felt ; 
but  in  smaller  crafts  it  is  very  perceptible.  When 
off  Cape  Hatteras,  the  smack  Morning  Star,  bound 
from  Mystic  to  Key  West,  was  struck  by  a  large 
fish.  The  men  at  first  supposed  they  had  collided 
with  a  floating  spar,  but  almost  immediately  she 
began  to  leak  so  badly  that  the  captain  signaled  a 
vessel  to  stand  by  him.  The  men  were  unable  to 
gain  on  the  water,  and  the  smack  put  into  Charles- 
ton the  next  day,  and  was  "  hove  down,"  when  they 
found  that  the  sword  of  a  swordfish  had  penetrated 
planking,  timber,  and  ceiling,  so  that  an  entire  plank 
had  to  be  replaced  before  they  could  continue.  In 
small  vessels  the  immediate  danger  is  still  greater. 
A  dory,  struck  off  Long  Island,  was  sunk ;  the 
sword  came  directly  up  between  the  fisherman's 
feet.  Six  inches  the  other  way  and  it  would  have 
impaled  him ;  as  it  was,  he  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  seize  the  sword,  and  though  his  boat  was 
sinking  he  held  the  fish  until  another  boat  picked 
him  up.  They  found  him  sitting  in  the  water 
with  his  coat  around  the  sword.  The  little  sloop 
Red  Hot,  owned  by  the  United  States  Fish  Commis- 
sion, was  sunk  in  New  Bedford  harbor  by  one  of 
these  pugnacious  fishes. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  swordfish  is  a  veritable  war- 
rior, and  when  placed  before  us,  its  entire  make-up 


212 


points  to  speed  and  activity.  It  would  be  selected 
from  among  all  the  fish  tribe  as  a  swift  privateer, 
while  we  might  imagine  the  shark  the  man-of-war. 
In  general  appearance  the  swordfish  resembles  the 
shark,  but  the  lobes  of  the  tail  are  equal  —  and 
what  a  wonderful  rudder  it  is,  with  sweeping  lines 
of  great  beauty,  forming  a  crescent  when  detached! 
From  the  upper  jaw  or  nose  extends  the  cartilagi- 
nous sword,  covered  with  a  rough  skin.  It  is  three 
or  more  feet  long  in  very  large  fishes,  and,  as 
we  have  seen,  is  a  terrible  weapon.  As  might  be 
supposed,  Xiphias  has  another  use  for  it  besides 
thrusting  at  inoffensive  sloops  and  ships.  The 
sword  is  the  weapon  of  defense,  and  with  it  the 
fish  also  obtains  its  food.  The  swordfish  is  a 
giant  armed  cousin  of  the  mackerel,  yet  preys 
upon  it  and  small  fry  of  various  kinds.  It  follows 
the  great  schools  north  in  the  spring,  and,  moving 
along  upon  their  outskirts,  dashes  in  upon  them, 
slashing  right  and  left  with  its  sword,  leaving  a 
shower  of  gleaming  parts  behind.  The  swordfish 
apparently  often  kills  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  it, 
only  picking  up  a  few  of  the  dismembered  parts, 
then  dashing  again  into  the  silvery  throng  in  mere 
wanton  sport.  So  strong  is  this  habit  of  strik- 
ing with  its  sword  that  when  a  dead  fish  is  tossed 
overboard,  the  swordfish  will  strike  at  it,  and  attempt 


2I3 

to  cut  it  before  making  a  meal  of  it.  This  swords- 
man is  found  in  nearly  all  waters.  In  American 
waters  it  rarely  attains  a  length  of  over  fifteen  feet, 
but  off  Ceylon  and  the  adjacent  waters,  monsters 
twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in  length  are  often  seen. 
Some  of  them  are  called  sailfishes,  from  the  fact 
that  the  dorsal  fin  attains  enormous  dimensions, 
and,  when  the  fish  is  darting  along  on  the  surface, 
resembles  the  sail  of  a  boat,  though  more  richly 
tinted  than  are  the  sails  of  boats  in  general.  These 
powerful  fishes  are  commonly  taken  by  spears ; 
they  often  do  great  damage  to  native  boats,  some- 
times dashing  completely  over  them,  impaling  the 
men  or  throwing  them  into  the  water. 

On  our  own  coast  the  swordfish  is  eagerly  sought 
as  a  food  fish,  and  several  hundred  vessels  and  over 
a  thousand  men  obtain  support  from  the  fishery, 
which  extends  from  Maine  to  Massachusetts.  The 
largest  fleet  of  swordfishermen  congregates  south 
of  Cape  Cod,  and  in  the  waters  about  Martha's 
Vineyard  hundreds  of  the  gamy  fish  are  caught.  A 
swordfisherman  differs  but  little  from  other  craft. 
She  is  generally  a  fast  schooner,  about  the  size  of  a 
pilot  boat,  and  upon  the  bowsprit  is  an  iron  stan- 
chion bearing  a  rest,  so  that  a  man  can  stand  here 
and  lean  against  it.  Lashed  to  the  bowsprit  is  a 
long  harpoon,  known,  from  its  supposed  resem- 


214 

blance  to  a  lily,  as  a  "lily  iron."  To  this  is  attached 
a  long  rope,  which  is  coiled  in  a  tub,  and  in  turn 
fastened  to  a  gayly  painted  keg.  Thus  equipped, 
the  swordfisherman  sets  sail,  and  once  upon  the 
grounds  a  man  is  sent  aloft  to  "keep  his  weather- 
eye  out."  If  good  fortune  is  in  store  for  the  gallant 
craft  the  man  at  the  masthead  soon  sings  out,  "  Fish 
ahoy!"  "  Where  away  ?"  shouts  the  skipper.  "Two 
points  off  the  weather  bow,"  comes  the  answer; 
and  forthwith  the  schooner  falls  away  and  follows 
the  directions  given  by  the  man  who  has  seen  the 
top  or  dorsal  fin  of  the  swordsman  dashing  along. 
In  the  meantime  the  mate  has  taken  his  place  in 
the  cage  on  the  bowsprit,  has  unlashed  the  iron  lily, 
and  stands  ready.  Another  man  sees  to  the  rope 
—  that  it  is  clear — and  stands  ready  to  toss  over  the 
keg.  The  schooner  shoots  ahead,  and  soon  the 
man  at  the  wheel  sees  the  fish  and  steers  so  as  to 
bring  it  on  the  weather  bow.  Not  a  word  is  said, 
and  inch  by  inch  they  gain  on  the  dashing  privateer 
—now  they  are  up  with  it.  The  man  at  the  wheel 
gives  it  a  turn  ;  the  "  nose  "  of  the  schooner  shoots 
up  into  the  wind,  and  the  fish  is  brought  across  the 
bow.  The  harpooner  raises  his  arm  ;  a  second  of 
suspense,  and  the  steel  lily  has  gone  glistening 
into  the  gamy  fish  that,  with  a  tremendous  leap  of 
terror  and  surprise,  disappears  in  a  whirlpool  of 


215 


foam,  that,  caught  by  the  breeze,  drenches  the  man 
and  deck.  The  line  is  rushing  over  the  side,  mak- 
ing music  that  the  men  like  to  hear,  and  the 


Sword  Fishing. 

schooner  is  kept  off  to  give  it  full  play.  The  coils 
leap  from  the  tub  like  living  things,  and  some- 
times smoke  rises  from  the  woodwork,  telling  of  the 


2l6 

strength  of  the  noble  fish  as  the  end  of  the  rope 
approaches.  The  mate  takes  the  keg  in  hand,  and 
as  the  last  coil  goes  over,  tosses  the  buoy  after  it 
to  dance  away  over  the  waves,  and  eventually  tire 
out  the  swordfish.  The  schooner  now  merely  fol- 
lows the. keg,  which  can  be  plainly  seen,  and  it  is 
but  a  question  of  time  when  the  fish  will  become 
exhausted.  When  the  keg  comes  to  a  standstill 
the  schooner  rounds  to ;  the  dory  is  lowered,  and 
it  is  picked  up.  The  first  pull  generally  starts  the 
fish  to  renewed  exertions,  and  the  schooner  falls 
away  again  in  pursuit  of  the  dory  which  is  now  be- 
ing towed  by  this  finny  horse.  But  the  fish  is 
becoming  exhausted,  and  the  men  now  take  the  line 
and  slowly  haul  in  —  a  continual  struggle  until 
the  fish  is  alongside,  when  an  attempt  is  made  to 
throw  a  rope  about  the  sword.  In  the  struggle 
that  ensues,  the  fish  sometimes  overturns  the  boat 
and  throws  the  crew  into  the  water,  or  drives  its 
sword  into  the  dory,  or  gives  a  vicious  slash  with 
its  weapon,  making  the  crew  lie  down  to  avoid  the 
attack;  but  finally  a  rope  is  thrown  about  the 
sword,  and  the  monster  is  secured  and  towed  along- 
side the  schooner,  and  soon  hoisted  aboard.  Two 
days  later  it  is  in  the  Boston  market. 

A  curious  fact  in  connection  with  the  swordfish 
is  that,  common    as    are    the   adults,   probably  no 


fisherman  on  the  American  coast  has  ever  seen  a 
young  one,  or  one  less  than  a  foot  long.  This  is 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  swordfish  breeds  upon 
the  high  seas,  or  possibly  in  European  waters. 
Young  ones  are  often  seen  on  the  Mediterranean 
shores,  and  the  fisheries  there  are  probably  even  more 
valuable  than  in  America.  The  young  swordfish  — 
the  infant  —  is  so  unlike  its  parent  that  few  would 
recognize  a  relationship.  Instead  of  a  sword,  it 
has  jaws  of  equal  length,  armed  with  fine,  sharp 
teeth.  Some  species  have  long  sharp  spines  pro- 
jecting from  their  various  parts,  and  they  change  in 
appearance  as  they  grow  older. 

The  Greek  swordfishermen,  and  especially  the 
Italians,  follow  the  fish  in  a  large  rowboat,  the 
harpooner  standing  upon  an  elevated  perch  at 
the  bow.  As  they  row  along  the  men  sing  songs 
and  utter  prayers  that  are  supposed  to  give*  them 
good  luck.  With  the  heavy  boat,  clanking  oars, 
and  the  sound  of  many  voices,  noise  enough  is  pro- 
duced to  alarm  the  fish  if  it  were  in  any  way  timid, 
yet  the  men  bring  in  many  hundreds  of  pounds,  and 
are  even  more  successful  than  the  skilled  harpooners 
of  American  waters.  Swordfish  duels  are  not  un- 
common, and  the  writer  once  found  a  swordfish 
which  had  been  run  through  and  through  by  an- 
other swordsman  of  the  sea. 


218 


ANIMAL   RESTORATIONS. 

To  many  persons  it  seems  marvelous  that  a 
naturalist  can  build  up  a  complete  animal  upon  the 
foundation  of  a  single  bone  or  even  a  tooth.  But 
for  the  student  of  anatomy  it  is  not  so  difficult  as  it 
appears. 

The  result  of  the  construction  or  building  up  of 
extinct  creatures  is  called  a  restoration ;  and  scien- 
tific men  have  become  so  expert  in  it  that  they  un- 
doubtedly produce  forms  which  vary  but  little  in 
appearance  from  the  actual  animal  represented. 

The  most  remarkable  restorations  of  modern 
times  are  those  at  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Sydenham, 
a  few  miles  from  London,  where  an  attempt  was 
made  not  only  to  restore  some  of  the  gigantic  ani- 
mals of  a  past  age,  but  to  reproduce  their  surround- 
ings ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  the  past 
ages  the  vegetation  was  as  different  from  that  of 
to-day  as  were  the  forms  of  animals. 

The  geologist  who  undertook  this  was  perfectly 
familiar,  through  special  study,  with  the  huge  crea- 
tures of  the  cretaceous  or  chalk  age  ;  and  by  com- 
paring the  bones  found  in  England  and  other 
countries  with  those  of  existing  forms,  he  was  en- 
abled to  reclothe  them  in  apparent  flesh. 


219 

It  was  easily  demonstrated  that  the  gigantic 
iguanodon,  the  bones  of  which  were  discovered 
in  England,  was  an  ally  of  the  South  American 
iguana  —  one  of  the  lizards.  So  the  skeleton  was 
rehabilitated  with  the  allowances  due  to  the  differ- 
ence of  structure. 

In  this  way  this  mighty  lizard  was  restored. 
First,  a  model  was  made  in  clay  and  then  enlarged ; 
and  the  actual  life-size  model  was  produced  by 
using  hundreds  of  pounds  of  mortar,  lime,  brick, 
and  stone,  not  to  speak  of  iron  columns. 


Skull  of  an  Iguanodon. 


The  iguanodon  was  a  gigantic  lizard.  Resting 
upon  the  ground,  it  could  reach  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  into  the  air,  and  must  have  been  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  creatures  of  a  past  age. 


220 


In  this  collection  is  the  megatherium,  known  to 
be  an  ally  of  the  sloth.  The  latter,  now  found  only 
in  South  America,  is  a  small  animal  found  clinging 
to  trees  ;  yet  here  was  an  ancestor  that  weighed 


Megatherium. 

perhaps  many  thousand  pounds  when  it  inhabited 
the  earth.  It  rested  upon  legs  colossal  in  size, — 
more  like  columns  of  support  than  limbs  for  loco- 
motion,—  and  standing  on  its  hind  legs,  tore  down 
tall  trees,  upon  which  it  fed. 

Some  years  ago  the  report  came  from  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  that  extraordinary  teeth  were  being 
found  at  that  place,  some  of  which  were  as  large  as 
the  human  hand,  if  not  larger.  The  geologist  im- 
mediately recognized  them  as  shark's  teeth.  The 
largest  were  almost  identical  in  form  with  the  teeth 
of  an  existing  shark  known  as  the  white  shark  or 


I  UNTVER?: 

^o, 

carcharodon.  This  monster  is  found  in  various  seas, 
the  largest  individual  ever  caught  being  thirty-five 
feet  in  length. 

The  teeth  of  this  giant  were  not  more  than  one 
inch  in  length  —  pygmies  when  compared  with  the 
enormous  plates  of  dentine  from  the  Ashley  and 
Cooper  rivers.  To  the  makers  of  restorations,  the 
difference  in  size  and  the  similarity  in  teeth  is 
suggestive. 

If  the  carcharodon  with  the  small  teeth  was 
thirty-five  feet  in  length,  what  must  have  been  the 
length  of  the  shark  with  the  teeth  as  large  as  a 
man's  hand  ? 

To  determine  this  question  the  author  once  took 
the  jaw  of  a  modern  shark,  and  placed  the  large 
teeth  in  the  same  position  in  which  they  were  found 
in  the  small  jaws.  The  result  was  a  shark  from  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in 
length,  whose  enormous  mouth  could  have  encom- 
passed a  dozen  men.  Indeed,  in  a  moderate-sized 
fish  of  this  species,  a  man  might  have  rested  on  the 
lower  jaw,  using  the  upper  as  a  protection. 

Imagine  a  man-eating  shark  as  large  as  the 
largest  whale,  and  some  idea  can  be  conveyed  of 
its  appearance.  In  the  day  when  this  giant  crea- 
ture lived,  it  was  the  scavenger  of  the  sea,  preying 
upon  all  other  animals  —  upon  the  gigantic  turtles 


222 


and  other  strange  forms  of  the  time  which  happened 
in  its  path.  What  a  spectacle  must  have  been  pre- 
sented when  its  enormous  mouth  opened,  and  eight 
or  nine  rows  of  gleaming  teeth  in  each  jaw  rose 
up  as  so  many  knives  to  sever  the  victim  ! 

The  teeth  of  this  shark  are  beautiful  objects. 
They  are  as  brilliant  to-day  as  they  were  untold 
ages  ago,  when  the  huge  shark  roamed  up  and 
down  the  Atlantic,  which  then  encroached  upon  the 
land  much  more  than  at  present.  The  teeth  have 
been  found  by  thousands  in  what  is  now  Charles- 
ton. They  have  been  dredged  in  the  deep  sea,  and 
taken  from  the  exposed  slopes  of  big  mountains  in 
southern  California. 

Some  years  ago  a  paleontologist  discovered  some 
of  the  bones  of  a  fish  in  a  certain  deposit,  and  from 
them  made,  perhaps  for  his  own  amusement,  a  res- 
toration or  outline  of  the  fish,  showing  it  to  be  a 
curious  eel-like  creature. 

Time  went  on,  and  finally  came  the  report  that 
this  fish  was  not  extinct,  but  still  lived  in  the  wa- 
ters of  Australia,  and  this  was  found  to  be  a  fact. 
The  fish,  known  as  the  ceratodus,  had  outlived 
its  age,  and  now  stood  as  a  proof  of  the  correct- 
ness of  the  restoration  which  had  been  made  from 
fossil  remains. 

Thus  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  earth  can  be 


223 

restored  with  more  or  less  accuracy,  often  the  small- 
est bone  telling  a  remarkable  story.  The  splint 
bone  in  the  horse  is  an  interesting  example,  as  by  it 
the  evolutionist  traces  back  the  lineage  of  this 
domestic  animal  to  a  time  when  it  was  not  larger 
than  a  fox,  and  had  three  or  four  toes. 


£K 

m 


ON    GUARD. 

IN  driving  through  one  of  the  lower  counties  of 
California  I  once  came  to  a   field  in  which  there 
were     forty     or     fifty 
black    pigs,     on     the 
back  of  each  of  which 
there     were     one    or 
two  blackbirds.     The 
latter  espied   me  im- 
mediately and  uttered 
an  alarm  or  warning, 
at    which     the     pigs 
looked    up    and    then 
ran   away,   some    still 
carrying    their    senti- 
nels on  their  backs.      Such  an  exhibition  might  be 
accidental,  but  I  have  seen  it  repeated  on  several 
occasions ;   and  am  certain  that  birds  warn  various 
animals  which  they  affect. 


224 

A  familiar  example  is  seen  in  the  moose,  which 
permits  various  birds  to  run  over  it,  in  all  probabil- 
ity in  search  of  insects.  The  hunter  stealing  upon 
the  animal  may  find  it  asleep  in  some  out-of-the- 
way  nook ;  but  the  watchful  jay  is  on  guard,  and, 
uttering  its  note  of  alarm,  the  moose  springs  to 
its  feet  and  rushes  away.  That  this  animal  sub- 
mits to  the  attention  of  the  jay  is  well  known, 
the  bird  having  been  observed  running  over  its 
body  with  the  greatest  freedom. 

In  Central  America,  especially  in  Nicaragua,  a 
singular  bird,  called  quiscalus,  is  very  assiduous  in 
its  attentions  to  wild  cattle,  taking  its  place  on  their 
backs  and  elevating  and  depressing  its  long  neck 
and  tail  in  a  remarkable  manner.  But  does  an  enemy 
approach,  the  black,  grotesque  creature  immediately 
utters  discordant  shrieks  which  have  an  immediate 
effect  upon  the  cattle,  who  toss  up  their  heads  and 
rush  into  the  bush. 

In  Africa  this  guardianship  between  birds  and 
oxen  is  so  well  established  that  certain  birds  are 
universally  known  as  oxbiters. 

One  of  the  best  known  of  these  feathered  guard- 
ians is  the  red-beaked  oxbiter,  a  little  bird  not 
larger  than  a  robin,  with  a  deep  red  beak  and  eyes 
that  sparkle  with  a  golden  gleam.  Wherever  wild 
cattle,  large  antelopes,  the  camel,  rhinoceros,  or 


225 

elephant  are  found  there  will  the  guardians  be  seen, 
perching  on  their  backs  or  running  over  them  with 
an  audacity  that  is  amazing.  On  the  camel  the 
oxbiter  will  run  up  the  woolly  neck  like  a  wood- 
pecker, perch  upon  the  ear  of  the  patient  animal 
and  examine  it  intently,  while  others  cling  to  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  creature,  which  is  perhaps  half 
asleep. 

So  watchful  are  these  sharp-eyed  birds  that  at 
the  first  suggestion  of  an  enemy's  approach  the 
birds  rise  from  the  backs  of  the  herd,  uttering  loud 


Rhinoceros  Birds. 


and  discordant  cries,  which  are  interpreted  at 
once.  At  the  first  warning  note  the  huge  animals 
rush  blindly  into  the  bush,  leaving  the  sportsman 


STO.  AN.  LIFE —  1$ 


226 

mortified  at  his  seeming  lack  of  skill  in  stalking  big 
game.  So  watchful  are  these  birds  in  discovering 
an  enemy  that  they  constitute  an  important  feature 
in  the  calculations  of  the  hunter  or  sportsman  in  the 
Dark  Continent.  One  species  is  called  the  rhinoceros 
bird  on  account  of  its  partiality  to  the  rhinoceros, 
numbers  being  seen  clinging  to  the  hide  of  the  big 
animal  or  perching  upon  its  ears  and  horns. 

Drummond,  the  well-known  naturalist,  found  it 
extremely  difficult  to  deceive  these  watchful  guard- 
ians. On  one  occasion  he  had  stalked  a  Cape 
buffalo  and  a  water  antelope  for  hours,  never  ex- 
posing himself,  knowing  that  the  birds  were  on 
guard.  Finally  he  reached  a  situation  favorable  to 
a  shot,  when  an  eagle-eyed  bird  uttered  a  sound 
like  "  tcha-tcha,"  and  the  entire  flock  rose  into  the 
air  with  loud  cries,  at  which  the  ox  and  antelope 
dashed  into  cover. 

That  these  feathered  guardians  are  attached  to 
the  animals  is  suggested  by  the  pertinacity  with 
which  they  cling  to  them.  A  hunter  had  suc- 
ceeded in  approaching  a  rhinoceros,  when  the 
birds  gave  the  alarm  and  away  dashed  the  big 
creature.  Some  of  the  birds  hovered  over  the  fly- 
ing animal,  but  several  clung  to  its  hide,  often 
brushed  off  in  the  flight  through  the  brush,  but 
renewing  their  position  despite  the  wild  race. 


227 

When  the  rhinoceros  was  finally  killed  the  birds 
clustered  in  the  neighboring  tre.es.  The  following 
day  9  when  the  sportsman  returned  to  skin  the  ani- 
mal, the  little  guardians  were  found  sitting  on  it, 
and  when  the  native  gun-bearers  appeared  they 
uttered  their  alarm  cry  and  even  brushed  their  wings 
in  the  face  of  the  dead  rhinoceros  in  their  efforts 
to  arouse  it. 

The  sluggish  hippopotamus  and  the  elephant 
serve  as  a  perch  for  a  small  white  heron  which  is 
extremely  watchful,  rising  at  the  slightest  alarm, 
the  flapping  of  its  wings  being  the  signal  at 
which  the  animal  steals  quietly  away,  to  be  rejoined, 
in  all  probability,  by  the  white  sentinel. 

This  singular  guardianship  is  not  confined  to 
quadrupeds  exclusively ;  certain  birds  are  known 
to  extend  a  limited  protection  to  other  birds,  an 
interesting  example  being  found  in  northern  Africa, 
where  a  copper-colored  flycatcher  has  been  observed 
standing  guard  upon  storks.  The  latter  were  walk- 
ing along  sedately,  feeding  upon  the  myriads  of 
locusts  which  covered  the  ground,  and  upon  the 
back  of  nearly  every  one  was  a  flycatcher.  The 
observer,  who  was  a  naturalist,  watched  the  birds 
for  some  time  until  one  of  them  espied  him,  when 
the  entire  flock  rose,  uttering  loud  cries,  which  so 
alarmed  the  storks  that  they  too  took  flight.  The 


228 

wattled  starling  stands  guard  on  various  birds,  and 
has  seriously  interfered  with  the  plans  of  many 
sportsmen. 

In  various  countries  this  singular  instinct  or 
guardianship  of  certain  birds  is  taken  advantage 
of.  Thus  the  wing-spurred  chauna,  of  South 
America,  is  sometimes  found  in  the  dooryards  of 
well-to-do  natives  acting  the  part  of  a  guard  to  its 
owner's  property.  The  bird  is  remarkable  for  its 
pugnacity ;  and  its  cry,  a  harsh,  penetrating  scream, 
is  sufficient  to  demoralize  a  much  larger  foe.  These 
birds  are  placed  in  the  farmyard  when  young, 
and  are  considered  a  safeguard  against  hawks  and 
various  predatory  animals.  Shepherds  employ 
them  to  guard  their  flocks,  and  more  than  once  the 
wing-spurred  bird  has  stood  between  the  lambs  and 
the  puma,  proving  itself  one  of  the  most  effective 
of  the  feathered  guards. 

PRISONERS    FOR   LIFE. 

A  CAPTAIN  of  a  vessel  once  brought  from  the 
Philippine  Islands  an  object  which  he  claimed  was 
the  skeleton  of  an  animal  that  had  been  taken  from 
the  deep  sea  of  these  islands.  It  was  tubular  in 
shape,  about  two  inches  across  and  eight  inches 
high,  and  made  up  seemingly  of  white,  silvery  spun 


229 


glass,  worked  and 
woven  as  if  by  fairy 
hands,  so  that  it 
presented  a  reticu- 
lated surface  and  a 
general  structure 
so  marvelous  that 
not  a  few  persons 
who  sawit  believed 
it  to  be  some  cun- 
ning work  of  the 
Chinese  or  Japan- 
ese, whose  strange 
productions  are  so 
fanciful  in  their 
design,  and  were 
then  just  becoming 
known.  Scientific 
men,  however,  pro- 
nounced the  rich 
vase  the  frame- 
work of  a  silicious 
sponge,  andnamed 
it  the  Euplectella. 
It  is  commonly 
called  "  Venus'  s 
flower  basket." 


Venus's  Flower  Basket. 


230 

If  we  examine  one  we  shall  find  that  the  little 
square  portholes  or  reticulations  are  a  prominent 
feature  in  its  formation,  the  little  windows  being 
just  large  enough  for  a  very  small  animal  to  creep 
or  crawl  through.  One  day  while  examining  the 
structure  of  one  of  these  vases,  I  noticed  two  little 
claws  of  a  crab  reaching  out  toward  me,  each  one 
being  extended  through  a  porthole,  if  so  we  may 
term  the  little  orifices.  By  cutting  away  a  portion 
of  the  vase  a  good  view  of  this  inhabitant  of  the 
sponge  was  obtained,  and  a  melancholy  spectacle  it 
was,  for  here  was  a  crab  that  through  mere  curios- 
ity in  its  youth  had  strayed  into  the  sponge,  and, 
like  the  prisoners  of  old,  had  been  literally  walled 
in.  It  had  grown  so  large  that  escape  was  impos- 
sible ;  and  finally,  when  the  sponge  died,  it  was  found 
with  its  claws  extending  through  the  bars  of  the 
prison  as  though  imploring  aid. 

The  crab  had  entered  the  sponge  when  it  was  a 
minute  creature  known  as  a  zoea.  It  soon  grew 
too  large  to  escape,  and  had  lived  upon  the  sponge, 
or  the  food  wafted  in,  and  was  found  only  when  the 
beautiful  sponge  died  and  was  deprived  of  its  rough 
and  unsightly  exterior.  Among  the  crabs  we  find 
many  prisoners  ;  thus  the  little  forms  that  live 
in  oysters  are  prisoners  in  the  shell ;  resting  among 
the  soft  folds  of  the  oyster  they  pass  their  time, 


231 

rarely,  if  ever,  venturing  forth,  and  feeding  upon 
the  various  objects  that  are  wafted  into  the  mollusk 
by  its  cilia. 

The  old  naturalists,  as  Pliny,  were  familiar  with 
many  prisoner  crabs,  as  there  are  several  bivalves 
that  possess  them,  and  believed  that  between  the 
ill-sorted  pair  there  was  a  partnership  to  the  effect 
that  the  shell  should  provide  the  crab  with  protec- 
tion, and  that  the  latter  should  keep  a  "weather 
eye  out "  in  the  interest  of  its  host,  a  sly  pinch  from 
one  of  the  biting  claws  being  the  signal  for  the 
valves  to  close.  Undoubtedly  the  oyster  received 
many  signals,  but  I  am  afraid  they  were  all  in  the 
interest  of  the  crab,  and  were  attempts  to  dine 
upon  its  host. 

The  barnacles,  cousins  of  the  crabs,  might  be 
termed  prisoners,  as  they  are  unable  to  move  from 
where  they  take  their  original  stand,  though  many 
fasten  themselves  to  moving  objects,  and  so  lead 
a  compulsory  roving  life.  One  is  found  growing 
upon  the  feathers  of  the  penguins  in  the  South 
Pacific,  and  I  have  taken  a  goose  barnacle  from 
the  mouth  of  a  sunfish, —  a  curious  prison  indeed,— 
where  the  stalk  was  just  long  enough  to  prevent 
its  being  crushed  by  the  curious  teeth  of  the  huge 
mola. 

One  of  the  strangest  prisoners  to  be  found  any- 


where  is  the  little  eel  or  lancelike  fish  fierasfer. 
Nearly  all  the  members  of  the  family  appear  to 
lead  a  life  of  singular  retirement.  I  found  my  first 
specimen  in  wading  over  the  Florida  reef,  about 
sixty  miles  beyond  Key  West.  I  had  lifted  a  long 
sea  cucumber  or  holothurian  from  its  bed  on  the 
soft  sand  of  the  atoll,  and  was  about  to  place  it  in 
a  glass,  when,  from  the  creature,  appeared  the  head 
of  the  fish.  I  placed  it  in  the  glass  tank,  and  it 
soon  came  out,  the  veriest  ghost  of  a  fish,  so 
silvery  white  that  I  could  almost  have  read  print 
through  it.  It  swam  about  for  a  while,  then  dropped 
to  the  bottom  and  died  at  the  very  moment  of  its 
seeming  release. 

On  the  reef  we  often  found  these  curious  prison- 
ers, but  never  without  their  living  prison,  and  I  was 
forced  to  believe  then  that  they  never,  at  least  at 
this  place,  came  out.  Recent  investigations  at  the 
Naples  aquarium  have  shown  that  they  do  venture 
into  the  outer  world,  and  perhaps  the  most  astonish- 
ing feature  of  the  entire  performance  is  the  return 
to  prison,  for  the  fierasfer  is  a  ticket  cf  leave  fish, 
and  reports  at  headquarters  with  great  regularity. 

The  curator  of  the  aquarium  above  mentioned, 
while  watching  them,  observed  one  of  the  fishes 
approach  its  living  prison,  and  insert  not  its  head 
but  its  tail  into  the  door,  and  gradually  begin  to 


233 

disappear  as  if  some  mysterious  power  were  draw- 
ing it  in,  until  it  had  completely  disappeared.  This 
curious  performance  of  backing  in  is  conducted  by 
the  holothurian  itself,  which  in  inhaling  water  draws 
the  fish  in  with  the  current,  leaving  it  finally  with 
its  head  pointed  outward  all  ready  for  another  jour- 
ney into  the  outside  world.  The  fierasfers  of  some 
localities  live  in  star  fishes,  and  many,  as  I  have 
said,  have  this  curious  habit  assumed  after  many 
years.  At  first  it  was  possibly  an  accident,  but  it 
has  grown  to  be  a  fixed  feature  in  the  life  of 
these  fishes. 

If  we  leave  the  world  of  the  ocean,  we  shall  find 
many  curious  prisoners  on  land.  The  female  horn- 
bill  is  entombed  by  her  mate  in  a  hollow  tree,  the 
latter  patiently  feeding  her  through  a  small  window 
until  the  egg  or  eggs  are  hatched. 

Some  ants  make  prisoners  not  only  of  their 
allies,  but  of  beetles  and  other  insects,  keeping 
them  in  the  care  of  aphides  for  their  so-called  milk, 
and  again  for  the  perfume  or  odor  some  beetles 
emit,  while  many  are  kept  merely  as  prisoners  to 
act  as  slaves,  and  to  perform  the  hard  work  of  the 
community.  In  all  life  we  find  these  strange  fea- 
tures, so  similar  to  many  of  our  own,  pointing  to 
the  assumption  that  the  same  general  laws  and  im- 
pulses govern  all  living  creatures. 


234 


THEIR    MAY   MOVING. 

THE  ist  of  May,  especially  in  the  Middle  States, 
is  moving  day.  It  is  then  that  leases  expire,  and 
there  is  a  very  general  movement  among  large 
numbers  of  persons. 

The  animals  also  have  their  moving  day,  and 
while  it  is  not  necessarily  upon  the  ist  of  May,  it 


"  The  animals  also  have  their  moving  day." 

generally  occurs  within  a  few  days,  or  even  hours, 
of  a  certain  time,  year  after  year. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  of  this 
is  found  among  fur  seals,  which  are  so  common  on 
the  Pribilof  Islands  in  our  Alaskan  possessions. 
When  first  discovered,  their  numbers  were  beyond 
all  computation.  They  seemed  to  fairly  blacken 
the  shores  of  the  islands  of  St.  Paul,  St.  George, 


235 

and  others,  and  the  intrepid  mariners  were  amazed 
at  the  spectacle.  An  elaborate  account  of  the  dis- 
covery was  sent  to  the  home  government,  which 
ordered  an  official  to  report  upon  the  same.  To 
the  astonishment  of  the  officer,  he  failed  to  find  the 
seals,  while  the  original  discoverer,  who  had  ac- 
companied him,  could  only  point  to  the  places 
where  he  had  seen  them,  and  reaffirm  his  statement. 

The  seals  had  merely  moved  in  a  body,  and  it 
was  many  years  before  it  was  definitely  ascertained 
where  they  went.  Since  the  discovery  of  the  fur 
seals  at  least  three  million  have  been  killed,  yet  a 
very  large  herd  is  still  found  on  the  island.  But 
when  autumn  approaches  they  move,  passing  out 
of  Bering  Sea,  spreading  over  an  area  one  hun- 
dred or  two  hundred  miles  in  width,  and  forming 
in  their  migration  a  perfect  horseshoe  of  swim- 
ming seals,  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  which 
reaches  nearly  to  the  Santa  Barbara  Islands  off  the 
coast  of  southern  California.  This  point  is  reached 
in  midwinter  or  February,  when  the  seals  turn  in- 
shore, swimming  on  the  edge  of  the  Japanese  cur- 
rent, reaching  their  rookeries  in  Bering  Sea  again 
in  early  spring ;  thus  having  passed  the  winter  drift- 
ing south  in  the  current  that  sweeps  down  the  Pa- 
cific coast  of  North  America. 

During  all  this  time  the  seals  do  not  land,  living 


236 

a  life  in  the  open  sea,  and  making  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  migrations  known. 

Explorers  in  the  southern  ocean  have  made  ex- 
traordinary discoveries  among  the  birds  of  that 
region.  Here  is  the  home  of  the  penguin,  that 
lives  in  rookeries  so  vast  that  men  have  been  lost 
in  them  and  nearly  killed  by  the  concerted  attacks 
of  the  birds.  One  breeding  ground  or  rookery 
contains  at  certain  times  thousands  of  birds  which 
are  incapable  of  flight,  and  resemble  seals  in  their 
modes  of  progression,  using  their  long,  narrow 
wings  as  fins.  A  man-of-war  once  touched  at  In- 
accessible Island  in  March,  and  found  the  rookeries 
covered  with  birds ;  returning  in  May,  the  island 
appeared  to  be  deserted,  and  to  this  day  where 
this  conspicuous  body  of  birds  spends  the  months 
of  April,  May,  June,  and  July  is  one  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  sea.  The  flock  of  penguins,  which 
must  cover  many  square  miles  in  its  movements, 
has  never  been  sighted  at  sea  by  a  vessel.  Per- 
haps the  most  remarkable  feature  of  this  moving 
is  the  return  of  the  birds  to  this  rock  over  the 
trackless  ocean,  where  there  are  no  landmarks. 

A  number  of  years  ago  I  was  fortunate  in  ob- 
serving a  curious  migration  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
A  small  island  called  Bird  Key  was  visited,  and  as 
there  was  not  a  bird  to  be  seen,  the  question  why 


237 


"  It  was  almost  impossible  to  walk  without  stepping  on  the 
speckled  eggs." 

the  island  was  given  so  misleading  a  name  was 
asked ;  to  which  an  islander  replied  that  the  fol- 
lowing month,  or  in  May,  it  was  a  bird  key  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  This  was  found  to  be  true. 
One  morning  I  saw  what  I  supposed  was  a  cloud 
hovering  over  the  island,  but  upon  approaching  the 
latter  the  cloud  proved  to  be  an  enormous  flock  of 


238 

birds,  that  had  come  from  no  one  could  tell  where. 
There  were  six  or  seven  islands  in  the  group,  but 
the  birds  alighted  upon  but  two,  and  when  on  the 
ground  almost  covered  it ;  indeed,  it  'was  almost 
impossible  to  walk  without  stepping  on  the  spec- 
kled eggs.  In  a  few  weeks  the  birds,  which  were 
gulls,  mysteriously  disappeared.  The  nearest 
points  were  Cuba  and  Yucatan,  but  the  birds  could 
not  be  traced  to  either. 

That  fishes  move  on  an  extended  scale  is  well 
known.  I  have  observed  the  effect  of  the  sudden 
arrival  of  a  vast  school  of  small  sharks  on  the 
Maine  coast.  They  evidently  came  in  from  the 
deep  sea,  and  were  as  ravenous  as  wolves,  in  a 
single  night  completely  stopping  the  fishing.  The 
water  was  alive  with  them,  so  that  it  was  far  from 
safe  to  fall  overboard. 

The  movements  of  the  shad  and  salmon  are  famil- 
iar, and  on  the  Pacific  vast  schools  of  barracuda 
and  yellowtail  move  up  and  down  the  coast  with 
the  coming  and  going  of  the  seasons.  Some  mi- 
grate to  well-defined  regions  ;  others  mysteriously 
disappear. 

I  have  observed  an  interesting  movement  of  a 
vast  swarm  of  yellow  butterflies  in  southern  Cali- 
fornia. They  covered  an  area  three  or  four  miles 
wide  and  one  hundred  or  more  in  length,  and  were 


239 

following  the  general  course  of  the  coast,  though 
thirty  miles  inland.  They  flew  near  the  ground 
and  quite  rapidly,  with  a  peculiar  fluttering  motion. 
Extraordinary  movements  among  butterflies  are 
not  rare.  A  swarm  mentioned  by  a  South  Ameri- 
can traveler  was  ten  miles  in  width,  and  was  a  day 
in  crossing  a  wide  river,  the  mass  of  insects  being 
so  thick  that  at  a  distance  they  resembled 'smoke 
blowing  from  a  conflagration. 


FISHES    OUT   OF   WATER. 

WHETHER  it  is  any  more  remarkable  for  a  fish 
to  leave  its  native  element  and  wander  around  on 
dry  land  than  for  a  bird  like  the  ousel  to  enter  the 
water,  fly  through  it,  and  walk  along  the  bottom  in 
search  of  food,  I  leave  my  readers  to  determine ; 
but  it  is  true  that  certain  fishes  leave  the  water  to 
search  for  food  on  land,  and  others  go  ashore  for 
various  reasons. 

Some  years  ago  I  spent  the  summer  at  a  little 
fishing  village  on  the  Maine  coast.  Near  the 
ocean  was  a  lake  into  which,  at  high  tide,  the  clear 
water  of  the  ocean  flowed,  while  at  the  ebb  it  ran 
into  the  ocean  again ;  so  at  the  flood  the  lake  was 
a  large  body  of  water,  and  at  ebb  tide  a  very  in- 


240 

significant  pond,  from  which  bunches  of  rushes 
protruded  everywhere. 

The  lake  I  soon  discovered  was  famous  for  its 
eels.  One  evening  it  happened  that  I  was  on 
the  beach  as  the  water  was  leaving  the  lake,  and 
waded  out  into  the  little  inlet  to  cross  it,  when  I 
found  that  it  was  black  with  eels  of  all  sizes.  The 
moment  they  saw  me  scores  left  the  water  and 
dashed  away  over  the  stones  in  every  direction, 
making  for  the  ocean,  presenting  a  very  extraor- 
dinary spectacle.  They  seemed  as  much  at  home 
on  the  dry  land  as  in  the  water,  and  made  re- 
markable progress  over  the  stones. 

That  eels  leave  the  water  and  roam  about  on  the 
flats  is  well  known.  Near  any  eel  pond  their 
trails  can  be  seen,  winding  away  to  the  ocean,  per- 
haps near  at  hand  —  all  of  which  shows  how  fishes 
differ  in  their  habits.  Thus  a  shad  or  a  perch 
would  soon  die,  and  could  not  make  a  single  move 
for  its  protection,  being  utterly  helpless  on  land. 
So,  too,  a  robin  or  sparrow  would  soon  drown 
in  the  water,  while  the  duck  or  ousel  is  apparently 
in  its  native  element,  which  shows  us  that  various 
animals  are  admirably  adapted  for  different  sur- 
roundings. 

When  Americans  first  visited  Australia  they 
found  that  the  natives  had  many  and  very  singular 


241 

stories  regarding  the  animals  of  the  great  continent. 
One  was  that  a  certain  large  fish,  'the  ceratodus, 
came  to  the  surface  at  night  and  wandered  about 
on  the  shore,  uttering  a  noise  like  that  of  a  bull ; 
in  fact,  a  bellowing  sound.  Naturally  such  a  fish 
story  was  discredited  and  laid  to  the  superstitious 
natives,  but  finally  one  night  a  party  of  surveyors, 
who  were  out,  heard  a  singular  sound  and  killed  an 
animal  which  was  moving  through  the  grass,  and 
which  was  found  to  be  this  native  fish,  that  was 
wriggling  its  way  overland  for  some  purpose. 
The  noise  was  caused  by  the  expulsion  of  air  from 
the  air  bladder  of  the  fish. 

A  party  of  English  officers  upon  one  occasion 
were  encamped  in  a  certain  portion  of  India,  when 
their  attention  was  attracted  by  a  rustling  sound 
in  the  grass  and  leaves.  Investigation  showed  it 
to  be  caused  by  myriads  of  little  fishes  which  were 
headed  in  one  direction,  moving  slowly  on  by  using 
their  side  and  small  fins  as  feet ;  now  upright,  now 
falling  down,  squirming,  bending,  rolling  over, 
regaining  their  finny  feet  and  again  pressing 
onward. 

These  fishes  were  the  famous  climbing  perch, 
about  which  so  much  has  been  said  and  written, 
and  they  were  passing  over  the  country  to  avoid 
a  drought.  When  the  stream  in  which  they  have 

STO.  AN.  LIFE — l6 


242 

been  spending  the  season  dries  up  they  scale  the 
banks,  and,  directed  by  some  marvelous  instinct, 
crawl  to  another. 

The    climbing"    perch    was    first   observed    by    a 
naturalist  over  a  century   ago,   one   having   been 
caught  high  up  a  palm  tree,  where 
it  had  gone,   it  was  said,  to   obtain 
the  moisture  that  might  be  found  in 
the  crevices  of  the  leaves.     This 
story    was    doubted   by   many, 
but  a  perch  was  found  in  the 
tree  by    M.    Daldorf,    so    the 
circumstance    may   be    placed 
among  the  strange   facts  of 
natural  history. 
The    most    remarkable    dry- 
land fish  is  a  little  creature 
about  four  or  five  inches  long, 
Climbing  Perch.  Wjtj1  a  ^jg.  hea(j)   prominent 

eyes,  and  side  or  pectoral  fins  that  are  more  like 
legs  than  anything  else.  This  goby,  for  that  is 
the  family  to  which  it  belongs,  is  a  marine  fish, 
and  actually  goes  ashore  to  obtain  a  portion  of 
its  food.  If  we  were  on  the  watch  at  low  tide 
in  Mauritius,  where  it  is  common,  we  should 
see,  as  the  rocks  become  bare,  various  broad 
heads  popping  up  here  and  there,  then  a  big  tad- 


243 


polelike  creature  jumping  from  one  to  another  or 
edging  its  way  up  the  side.  Their  object  is  to 
catch  small  mollusks.  Some  years  ago  a  friend 
of  the  writer,  an  ar- 
dent naturalist,  was 
very  much  inter- 
ested in  these  little 
fishes,  and  com- 
bined sport  and  col- 
lecting in  a  novel 
manner.  He  caught 
his  periophthalmi 
withashotgun,  pick- 
ing them  off  as  they 
hopped  along  the 
broad  muddy  flats. 

In  New  Zealand  the  gobies  of  several  species 
have  this  habit  of  leaving  the  water  and  scram- 
bling along  shore,  and  are  called  "  running  fishes" 
by  the  natives  on  account  of  this  singular  feature. 
At  Whampoa  a  fish  called  the  sunghong  is  often 
seen  out  of  the  water,  while  the  Chinese  have  what 
they  call  the  pakkop,  or  white  frog,  that  can  live 
for  some  time  out  of  its  native  element.  These 
people  also  speak  of  the  flower  fish,  or  hawaya,  as 
leaving  the  water. 

On  our  own  shores  we  have    a  goby  that  has  a 


Gobies. 


244 

somewhat  similar  habit.  An  expedition  of  natural- 
ists to  Mexico  and  Texas  found  some  of  the  little 
fishes  and  confined  them  in  a  pail.  They  remained 
there  for  a  short  time,  then,  to  the  astonishment  of 
the  observers,  several  were  seen  clambering  over 
the  side  of  the  pail  and  quietly  dropping  down 
upon  the  ground,  when  they  proceeded  to  wriggle 
their  way  to  the  water,  not  far  distant.  They  used 
their  pectoral  and  anal  fins  as  legs  in  this  instance, 
and  succeeded  in  making  very  good  progress. 
When  replaced  in  the  bucket  they  soon  crawled 
out  again,  and  could  be  kept  in  only  by  placing  a 
plank  over  the  top  of  their  prison. 

In  countries  where  there  is  a  decided  wet  and 
dry  season,  fishes  are  often  obliged  to  migrate  or 
hibernate.  In  the  latter  case,  when  they  find  they 
are  unable  to  reach  the  water  they  burrow  into  the 
soil,  remaining  in  this  condition  for  months,  or 
until  the  rain  comes.  This  habit  has  been  made 
the  occasion  of  some  remarkable  surprises.  Thus, 
a  party  of  hunters  were  camping  upon  the  edge 
of  a  little  depression  that  was  absolutely  barren. 
A  rainstorm  came  up  suddenly,  and  soon  the  de- 
pression became  a  lake.  In  an  hour  the  croaking 
of  frogs  was  deafening,  and  an  examination  of  the 
surface  showed  that  the  place  was  well  stocked  with 
fish.  The  moment  the  moisture  reached  below  the 


245 


surface  the  fish  had  revived  and  made  their  way  up 
through   the   mucl.      One    of  the    curators    of  the 
British   Museum    some   years  ago   received   a  dry 
and  well-packed  ob- 
ject  that   appeared 
to  be  a  ball  of  mud. 
The        instructions 
were  to  place  this  in 
a   dish  of  slightly 
warm  water,  which 
was  done.      Slowly 
the    ball    dissolved, 
and  as  it  finally  fell 
apart  a  long  eel- 
like  fish  rolled  out, 
gave  several  gasps, 
and  began  to  splash 

about.       The  ball  of  Hibernating  Fish. 

mud  had  been  the  hibernating  nest  of  the  fish,  and 
had  been  sent  this  long  distance  safely  in  a  tightly 
packed  box. 

Travelers  in  South  America  are  sometimes  re- 
galed with  wonderful  stories  regarding  the  over- 
land trips  of  certain  fishes,  and  in  many  instances 
the  accounts  have  been  substantiated.  These  cat- 
fishes  exist  in  vast  numbers  in  the  streams  and 
pools,  and  like  their  East  Indian  allies,  they  mi- 


246 

grate  overland,  presenting  a  most  singular  ap- 
pearance. 

Another  catfish  in  South  American  waters  is 
often  seen  on  partly  submerged  logs,  apparently 
having  the  habits  of  a  frog.  In  England  the 
familiar  little  fish  known  as  the  blenny  has  a  curi- 
ous habit  of  basking  in  the  open  air  at  times.  This 
was  first  noticed  by  a  naturalist  named  Ross,  who 
kept  several  of  the  fishes  in  an  aquarium.  He 
had  great  difficulty  in  making  them  stay  in  the 
water.  At  certain  times  during  the  day  they 
would  make  desperate  and  often  successful  at- 
tempts to  get  out.  Finally,  upon  the  advice  of  a 
friend,  he  placed  a  stone  in  the  tank  so  that  part  of 
it  was  exposed,  and  out  upon  it  climbed  the  blen- 
nies.  They  seemed  to  require  air,  and  from  choice 
spent  part  of  the  time  out  of  the  water.  Singularly 
enough,  this  was  during  the  ebb  tide,  the  period 
when  they  would  naturally  be  left  high  and  dry  in 
the  pools  along  shore. 

You  may  wonder  how  these  finny  wanderers  can 
breathe  out  of  water.  All  fishes  breathe  by  taking 
in  water,  which  is  supplied  with  air,  and  expelling 
it  at  the  gills,  these  blood-red  organs  taking  up 
the  oxygen  during  the  contact ;  but  when  a  fish  is 
out  of  the  water  it  would  seem  necessary  to  have 
some  other  means  of  breathing,  and  this  is  the 


247 

case.  They  do  not  carry  water  or  store  it,  as  some 
have  supposed,  but  the  cavities  which  are  found  in 
the  head  of  some  are  supposed  to  be  for  the  re- 
ception of  air;  in  others  the  air  bladder,  which  is 
permeated  with  blood  vessels,  serves  as  a  breath- 
ing organ  or  lung. 


BIRDS    OF   THE    OCEAN. 

THE  birds  of  the 
ocean,  the  tireless 
fliers,  long  of  wing 
and  light  of  body, 
the  gulls,  petrels, 
and  their  giant  al- 
lies, the  albatross- 
es, have  always 
been  associated 
with  the  romance 
and  mystery  that 
surround  ocean 
life.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  alba- 
tross far  out  at  sea, 
its  silent  flight,  its 
somber  garb,  its  complete  indifference  to  the  ter- 
rors of  wind  and  wave,  act  strongly  upon  the 


Albatross. 


248 

imagination.  So  with  the  petrel,  which  also  defies 
the  storm  and  gayly  trips  a  measure  to  the  howl- 
ing gale.  It  is  sacred,  and  its  destruction  con- 
sidered ominous  of  dire  calamity. 

The  gulls  constitute  the  feathered  ornaments  of 
our  harbors  and  shores,  their  graceful  flight,  long, 
slender  wings,  and  striking  contrasts  in  black  and 
white  rendering  them  particularly  attractive.  On 
the  various  portions  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts  their  breeding  places  are  found  ;  but  it  is  in 
the  South,  in  isolated  regions,  that  they  are  seen 
to  the  best  advantage  and  in  greatest  numbers. 

It  is  in  the  southern  seas,  on  the  borders  of  the 
Antarctic  Ocean,  that  the  most  extraordinary 
phases  of  oceanic  bird  life  are  found.  Here  is  the 
home  of  the  penguin,  the  group  representing  one 
of  the  lowest  forms  of  birds.  When  in  the  water 
they  are  to  all  intents  and  purposes  fishes,  using 
as  fins  their  paddlelike  wings,  which  appear  to  be 
covered  with  fine  scales  instead  of  feathers.  In 
the  water  they  lie  prone,  diving  from  wave  to 
wave  like  seals,  and  might  readily  be  taken  for 
small  cetaceans.  When  leaving  the  water  they 
scramble  or  crawl  up  rocks  on  the  shore  in  a 
clumsy  manner,  then  assuming  an  upright  position 
and  an  appearance  more  extraordinary  than  ever. 
In  many  cases  they  seem  to  affect  strange  atti- 


249 

tudes,  often  standing  in  line  or  marching  in  col- 
umns of  four  or  more,  or  in  a  single  file  to  the 
beach,  and  in  certain  large  forms  creating  the  im- 
pression on  distant  observers  that  they  are  men 
going  through  some  drill  or  exercise  with  the 
regularity  which  military  discipline  demands. 

The  rookeries  of  the  penguins  are  of  vast  extent, 
especially  those  of  the  island  of  Tristan  da  Cunha, 
one  of  the  so-called  inaccessible  islands  lying  be- 
tween Cape  Horn  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
in  the  southern  ocean.  The  island  is  a  desolate 
place,  containing  about  sixteen  square  miles,  nearly 
circular,  with  peaks  rising  to  an  altitude  of  8,300 
feet,  which  are  capped  with  snow  nearly  the  entire 
year.  The  locality  is  cold  and  barren,  yet  is  the 
kingdom  of  the  penguins,  their  cities  of  millions  of 
inhabitants  having  been  established  here  for  untold 
centuries. 

The  rookeries  are  formed  near  the  water  in 
tracts  covered  by  stout  reddish  tussock  grass, 
which  grows  so  coarse  and  in  such  solid  clumps 
that  at  the  base  it  is  almost  as  hard  as  wood.  This 
grass,  higher  than  a  man's  head,  is  pierced  in 
every  direction  by  the  streets,  lanes,  and  avenues 
of  the  penguins  or  rock  hoppers.  The  bird  is  one 
of  the  most  singular  of  its  kind,  standing  about  a 
foot  and  a  half  high,  covered  with  a  close-fitting 


250 

set  of  feathers  much  resembling  those  of  the  grebe. 
The  general  color  of  the  back  is  slate-blue,  while 
the  breast  is  snow-white.  From  the  base  of  the 
bill  extends  backward  a  mustachelike  plume  of  a 
rich  sulphur-yellow,  which  is  held  erect  when  the 


.  /^. 


Penguins. 

bird  is  on  land,  and  by  its  motions  gives  it  a  most 
whimsical  appearance.  Add  to  this  a  bright  red 
bill,  richly  colored  eyes,  and  wings  like  paddles, 
and  we  have  the  curious  bird  that  occupies  the 
greater  part  of  this  inhospitable  region. 

Several  years  ago  an  attempt  was  made  to  ex- 
amine thoroughly  and  map  one  of  these  penguin 
rookeries  —  a  task  not  only  disagreeable  but  abso- 


lutely  dangerous  in  some  instances,  as  shown  by 
several  accidents  resulting  from  the  combative  and 
aggressive  nature  of  the  birds,  which  not  only  did 
not  fear  the  visitors,  but  resisted  their  advances  all 
along  the  line.  The  party  landed  on  the  rocky 
shore  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  street  leading  up 
to  the  tussock  rookery.  It  was  about  twenty  feet 
wide,  and  as  the  boat  approached  large  numbers  of 
penguins  were  seen  passing  up  the  slippery  walk 
or  standing  in  groups  in  the  entrance,  where  they 
were  readily  photographed.  As  the  explorers 
passed  up  the  street  they  found  themselves  in  a 
perfect  maze.  The  grass  rose  high  above  their 
heads,  touching  at  the  top  and  forming  arches. 
The  streets  led  off  in  every  direction,  often  branch- 
ing in  a  manner  bewildering  to  the  explorer.  The 
avenues  and  lanes  were  packed  with  birds,  the  heat 
was  intense,  while  the  noise  from  ten  thousand 
throats  was  like  thunder. 

The  streets  were  the  breeding  grounds,  and  so 
closely  placed  were  the  nests  and  eggs  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  move  without  stepping  upon 
them.  On  each  nest  sat  a  sharp-beaked  bird,  its 
head  drawn  back,  uttering  in  ferocious  guttural, 
"  Caa,  caa,  urr,  urr,"  the  peculiar  sulphur-colored 
mustache  vibrating  with  excitement.  It  was  im- 
possible to  avoid  them,  and  the  sharp  beaks  soon 


252 

began  to  tell  on  the  legs  of  the  white  intruders,  with 
effect,  so  that  the  birds  had  to  be  unceremoniously 
tumbled  aside  with  sticks  and  clubs. 

In  one  trip  the  investigators  actually  feared  for 
their  lives  and  were  obliged  to  run,  dashing  over 
the  myriads  of  birds  which  attacked  them  with  the 
greatest  fury.  By  making  a  series  of  such  rushes, 
with  heads  down  and  stopping  occasionally  in  clear 
places,  progress  was  finally  made  through  a  por- 
tion of  the  rookery. 

The  nest  is  a  simple  depression  in  the  soil,  in 
which  two  greenish-white  eggs  are  laid,  and  they 
are  placed  everywhere  without  discrimination. 

The  danger  of  becoming  lost  or  bewildered  in 
this  curious  labyrinth  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
Professor  Mosely,  the  English  naturalist,  who  had 
a  remarkable  experience  in  these  rookeries,  had  a 
" desperate  struggle"  through  the  grass  and  pen- 
guins, and  "at  last  had  to  come  back  beaten." 
With  his  men  he  literally  fought  his  way  over  the 
rookery,  and  two  dogs  with  the  party  had  to  be 
dragged  through,  being  utterly  unable  to  face  the 
birds ;  and  despite  their  efforts  one  dog  was  finally 
lost  and  probably  killed  by  the  ferocious  throng 
that  had  taken  possession  of  at  least  a  quarter  of 
the  island,  representing  in  estimated  numbers  at 
least  four  hundred  thousand  penguins. 


253 

At  Marion  Island  the  gentoo  penguin  is 
found — a  tall,  finely  formed  bird  with  a  red,  sharp- 
pointed  beak,  its  back  dark  and  breast  white. 
They  afford  a  good  example  of  the  use  of  the  fin- 
like  wings  as  fore  limbs,  for  when  pursued  they 
throw  themselves  upon  all  fours  and  dash  along, 
using  their  wings  as  hands  or  feet,  throwing  the 
mud  and  sand  so  effectively  that  the  follower  is 
glad  to  give  up  the  chase. 

The  rookery  of  Marion  Island  is  distinct  from 
the  other  portion,  and  contains  all  the  young  and 
breeding  pairs.  The  sight  presented  by  the  young 
here  is  a  grotesque  one.  The  latter,  even  when  as 
tall  as  the  parents,  are  covered  with  down  at  least 
two  inches  deep,  so  that  as  they  move  about  with 
beaks  pointing  almost  directly  upward  they  look 
as  though  they  had  been  inflated.  This  absurd 
appearance  is  increased  tenfold  when  the  down 
begins  to  give  place  to  the  more  mature  plumage. 
In  some,  patches  of  brown  appear  on  the  back, 
with  feathers  projecting  through ;  others  have 
merely  an  exaggerated  Elizabethan  ruff  or  collar. 

In  a  corner  by  themselves  the  breeding  birds  are 
found  lying  together  in  slightly  stooping  positions. 
When  approached  they  do  not  move  off  so  readily 
as  the  non-breeders,  and  hold  their  feet  together. 
No  egg  is  seen  by  the  disturber  of  their  peace,  but 


254 

it  is  there,  and  as  the  penguin  moves  away  it  skill- 
fully carries  the  egg  with  it,  bearing  it  in  a  perfect 
pouch  between  the  legs,  holding  it  in  by  tucking 
the  feet  up  beneath.  There  is  absolutely  no  nest, 
and  in  all  probability  the  egg  is  held  in  the  pouch 
for  nearly  the  entire  seven  weeks  of  incubation,  or 
until  the  young  is  hatched,  the  male  doubtless 
feeding  its  mate.  The  birds  are  very  jealous  of 
their  positions,  and  if  one  of  the  downy  young, 
which  are  continually  running  about  uttering  a 
singular  whistling  cry,  infringes  on  the  ground  of 
a  breeder,  it  is  immediately  attacked  in  a  savage 
manner. 

In  this  rookery  and  about  it  lived  numbers  of 
sheathbills  that  were  so  tame  that  when  a  party 
of  explorers  approached  they  came  running  up  in 
numbers,  exhibiting  the  liveliest  curiosity,  uttering 
a  "  cluck,  cluck,"  like  chickens,  only  with  a  half- 
defiant  note.  They  were  pushed  aside  with  sticks, 
and  when  a  stone  was  thrown  at  them  they  im- 
mediately ran  up  to  the  thrower  as  if  to  see  how  it 
was  done.  The  sheathbills  were  the  scavengers 
of  the  rookery,  and  when  an  egg  was  broken  they 
at  once  ran  up  and  ate  it.  Overhead  were  flying 
the  most  powerful  of  the  gulls,  the  skuas,  also 
scavengers,  and  so  bold  that  they  swooped  down 
and  carried  off  dead  birds  almost  under  the  feet  of 
the  men. 


255 

While  the  king  penguin  does  not  build  a  nest, 
this  is  not  true  of  all  the  tribe.  The  Magellan 
penguin  makes  large  and  very  deep  burrows  in 
the  peat  banks,  so  that  often  the  ground  is  hol- 
lowed in  every  direction.  They  have  a  singular 
habit,  found  among  a  few  land  birds,  of  collecting 
various  objects.  Thus,  in  front  of  the  opening  of 
their  burrows  are  found  numbers  of  pebbles  of  dif- 
ferent sizes  and  colors,  which  are  brought  up  from 
the  shore,  apparently  simply  for  ornaments  or  ob- 
jects to  please  the  eye. 


VADING  HORD 


"  SOME  years  ago,"  said  a  famous  traveler,  "  I 
took  an  extended  drive  through  the  best  parts  of 
Tunis,  Algiers,  and  Tripoli.  I  made  the  trip  in  the 
course  of  the  winter,  and  as  the  hot  season  ap- 
proached I  found  myself  in  Algiers,  and  ready  to 
return  to  the  North.  Our  last  ride  was  about  two 
hundred  miles  across  a  rudely  farmed  piece  of 


256 

country  —  a  most  uninteresting  and  eventless  trip 
it  would  have  been  but  for  one  incident. 

"  Early  in  the  morning,  which  was  intensely  hot, 
our  driver  had  pointed  out  a  dark  cloud  hanging 
over  the  horizon  a  few  miles  away.  I  paid  little 
attention  to  it,  until  I  saw  that  it  was  drawing 
nearer,  and  then  I  asked  what  the  chances  were  of 
our  getting  wet. 

"  '  Wet/  answered  the  native  driver ;  '  it  is  some- 
thing worse  than  rain,  the  old  plague  of  the  coun- 
try, the  locust.'  It  was  true.  We  were  advancing 
upon  an  army  whose  numbers  it  was  impossible  to 
compute,  and  whose  power  of  devastation  was 
more  complete  than  that  of  any  human  army  —  in- 
sects by  the  hundred  billions  filling  the  air,  and 
forming  high  toward  the  heavens  a  funnel-shaped 
object,  a  living  cyclone. 

"  It  came  rapidly  down  upon  us,  and  before  long 
the  advance  guards  struck  us — ugly  brown  locusts 
that  flew  against  the  animals,  striking  our  faces, 
crawling,  flying  everywhere.  The  animals  soon 
became  alarmed  by  the  constantly  augmenting 
numbers;  the  horses  reared  and  tried  to  break 
away,  snorting  in  the  greatest  terror.  If  the  truth 
must  be  told,  their  owners  were  hardly  less 
alarmed  than  they. 

"The  air  was  filled  with  locusts.     They  covered 


257 

the  ground  so  that,  look  which  way  you  would,  it 
was  a  crawling,  swaying  mass  of  life.  Every  mo- 
ment matters  grew  worse,  and  it  became  darker. 
They  were  so  numerous  that  they  hid  the  sun,  and 
made  the  day  seem  as  dark  as  though  a  fog  bank 
were  blowing  in. 

"The  frightened  animals  were  put  at  full  speed, 
and  we  dashed  into  the  thickest  of  them.  I  tied  a 
cloth  over  my  head  in  order  to  shut  them  out,  but 
it  was  useless.  They  covered  everything,  pene- 
trated anything,  and  literally  swarmed  over  us. 
For  a  few  moments  the  maddened  horses  dashed 
along  ;  then  they  began  to  lag,  and  finally  they 
came  to  a  dead  stop,  and  one  went  over  the  traces 
and  fell  in  a  living  sea  of  locusts.  The  insects 
covered  the  ground  so  thickly  that  the  wheels  were 
clogged,  and  the  horses  floundered  in  them  as  they 
would  in  snow. 

"  It  was  a  disagreeable  sensation  to  sit  in  the 
living  rain  and  be  pelted  with  them  ;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it,  and  for  two  hours  we  endured  it. 
Then  the  insects  passed  on,  and  we  managed  to 
bring  the  horses  through. 

"  As  we  emerged  from  the  cloud  and  passed  over 
the  country  they  had  devastated,  it  was  like  riding 
over  a  burnt  district.  Every  blade  of  grass  and 
every  green  thing  had  disappeared,  and  starvation 

STO.  AN.  LIFE —  17 


258 

stared  people  in  the  face.  They  had  literally  swept 
over  the  country  like  flame,  and  removed  every 
vestige  of  vegetation." 

In  the  same  region,  a  swarm  of  locusts,  even 
more  extensive  than  that  described,  appeared  in 
1888.  Not  only  famine  but  pestilence  threatened 
the  entire  country  by  the  enormous  accumula- 
tions of  dead  and  living  insects.  To  fight  this 
dreadful  horde,  over  sixty  thousand  laborers  and 
two  thousand  soldiers  went  out,  armed  with  sticks, 
clubs,  and  firebrands,  but  their  efforts  seemed  to 
have  no  effect. 

It  is  difficult  for  those  who  have  never  seen  such 
a  destroying  force  to  realize  its  awful  meaning. 
The  advance  of  such  a  legion  may  well  be  compared 
to  that  of  an  invading  army.  True,  the  people  are 
not  killed,  but  their  means  of  living  are  taken  away, 
and  they  often  starve  to  death. 

The  most  devastating  wars  in  the  history  of  the 
world  have  been  between  human  beings  and  these 
seemingly  insignificant  insects.  When  they  appear 
in  a  country  the  note  of  warning  is  sounded,  and 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  enlists  to  evict  the 
invaders.  The  locusts  pour  out  from  the  earth  in 
millions,  or  sweep  down  in  vast  bodies.  Fires  are 
started  with  the  hope  that  the  smoke  will  destroy 
them  or  turn  their  course  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  when  they 


259 

once  gain  a  foothold  they  press  on,  and  by  sheer 
force  of  numbers  carry  everything  before  them. 

They  enter  houses,  crawl  through  windows  and 
doors,  cover  the  floors,  and  accumulate  wherever 
they  are  killed  or  crushed,  thus  producing  disease 
and  pestilence. 

There  are  on  record  several  interesting  accounts 
of  these  insect  wars.  The  earliest  is  found  in  the 
Bible,  where  the  grasshopper  is  described  as  one 
of  the  plagues  of  Egypt.  In  the  Book  of  Exodus, 
chapter  x.,  we  find  the  following  : 

"And  the  locusts  went  up  over  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  rested  in  all  the  coasts  of  Egypt :  very 
grievous  were  they ;  ...  for  they  covered  the  face  of 
the  whole  earth,  so  that  the  land  was  darkened  ; 
and  they  did  eat  every  herb  of  the  land,  and  all 
the  fruit  of  the  trees  which  the  hail  had  left :  and 
there  remained  not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees, 
or  in  the  herbs  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land  of 
Egypt." 

From  very  early  times  certain  portions  of  Africa 
have  been  particularly  subject  to  these  invasions, 
and,  according  to  Pliny,  the  inhabitants  of  Cyrenaica 
were  frequently  raided  by  them  ;  so  that  laws  were 
made  for  the  protection  of  the  land,  and  every 
person  was  obliged  to  kill  a  grasshopper,  in  what- 
ever stage  it  might  be  found. 


260 

In  Lemnos,  many  years  ago,  a  law  obliged  every 
person  to  pay  a  tax  of  grasshoppers,  or  bring  to  the 
magistrate  certain  measures  of  the  insects.  In  this 
way  it  was  hoped  in  time  to  wipe  them  out,  but  it  is 
needless  to  say  that  it  had  little  or  no  effect  upon 
them. 

The  amount  of  damage  accomplished  in  these 
raids  by  the  common  enemy  cannot  be  realized ; 
only  a  rough  estimate  can  be  given,  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  horde  creates  far  more  consternation 
than  a  declaration  of  war  between  nations. 

In  the  year  591,  a  swarm  of  locusts  appeared  in 
Italy.  Men  gave  the  word  of  alarm,  which  was 
carried  from  village  to  village,  and  every  effort  was 
made  to  destroy  them  ;  but  they  stripped  the  coun- 
try over  which  they  passed,  and  finally,  after  a 
high  wind  had  blown  them  into  the  ocean,  they 
were  washed  up  on  the  shore  in  such  numbers  that 
a  plague  was  produced  that  carried  off  the  inhabit- 
ants by  thousands. 

To  estimate  the  number  of  locusts  in  one  of  these 
clouds  seems  impossible.  In  1 748  armies  of  them 
entered  Europe,  invading  parts  of  Wallachia,  Mol- 
davia, Transylvania,  Hungary,  Poland,  and  Ger- 
many, and  scientific  men  endeavored  to  calculate 
their  numbers.  It  was  found  that  the  right  and  left 
wings  of  one  army  rested  upon  villages  forty  miles 


26l 


apart.  The  length  was  so  great  that,  though 
flying  at  a  rapid  rate,  the  cloud  was  three  hours 
passing  a  given  spot. 

An  army  of  insects  seen  in  Africa  by  Barrow  in 
1797  was  estimated  by  him  to  cover  an  area  of 
two  thousand  square  miles  !  Like  a  swarm  pre- 
viously referred  to,  they  were  blown  into  the 
ocean,  and  for  fifty  miles  along  the  shore  he  found 
them  washed  up  in  banks  from  three  to  four  feet 
high. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  locust  has  caused  im- 
mense losses,  and  is  probably  the  most  dreaded  in 
this  country.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  the 
ground.  They  hatch  in  March  and  April,  and  begin 
their  life  as  wingless,  voracious  larvae,  often  travel- 
ing long  distances  in  this  stage.  In  the  last  of 
June  they  assume  the  perfect  form  with  wings,  and 
it  is  then  that  they  do  incalculable  damage.  They 
are  very  active  at  night,  and  travel  at  a  rate  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  a  day. 


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address,  on  receipt  of  the  price,  by  the  Publishers  : 

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v\  QO            ^\      1'Q  O  A 

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CT-n 

F£B  »7  1938 

- 

APR     9   1938 

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LD  21-100m-7,'33 

Av. 


L091 


